UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


/ 


0 


*i 


VeNITSTTANO    CarRANZA.  [Page  314] 


MEXICO 

FROM   CORTES  TO  CARRANZA 


BY 


LOUISE  S.  HASBROUCK 


ILLUSTRATED 


D.  APPLETON   AND   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK  LONDON 

1918 


65056 


Copyright,  1918 
d.  appleton  and  compa^fy 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


,. 4011 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

I  desire  to  express  my  indebtedness  in  the  compilation 
of  this  history  to  the  authors  of  the  following  volumes. 

"The  Mexican  People:  Their  Struggle  for  Freedom," 

by  L.   Gutierrez  De  Lara  &  Edgcumb  Pinchon. 

(Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1914.) 
"Political    Shame    of   Mexico,"    by   Edward    I.    Bell. 

(McBride,  Nash  &  Co.,  1914.) 
"History    of    Mexico,"    by    Hubert    Howe    Bancroft. 

(Bancroft  Co.,  1914.) 

"Short  History  of  Mexico,"  by  Arthur  Howard  Noll. 
(A.  C.  McClurg,  1890.) 

"The  Story  of  Mexico,"  by  Susan  Hale.  (G.  P.  Put- 
nam, 1889.) 

"Fernando  Cortez,"  by  Francis  A.  MacNutt.  (G.  P. 
Putnam,  1909.) 

"Dispatches  to  the  Emperor  Charles  V,"  by  Hernando 
Cortes. 

"Hernando  Cortes,"  by  Sir  Arthur  Helps.  (Putnam, 
1871.) 

"True  History  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico,"  by  Bernal 
Diaz  del  Castillo.      (Written  in  1568.) 

"Mexico,"  by  Brantz  Mayer.    (Hartford,  Drake,  1851.) 
"Conquest  of  Mexico,"  by  W.  H.  Prescott. 

V 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

"Insurgent  Mexico,"  by  John  Reed.  (Appleton,  1914.) 

"Maximilian  in  Mexico,"  by  Sara  Yorke  Stevenson. 
(Century,  1899.) 

"Mexico  as  I  Saw  It,"  by  Mrs.  E.  B.  Tweedie.  (Mac- 
millan,  1901.) 

"Story  of  Mexico,"  by  Charles  Morris. 

"Diaz,  Master  of  Mexico,"  by  James  Creelman.  (Apple- 
ton,  1911.) 

"Mexico,"  by  Frederick  Jordan. 

"!Nahua  Civilization,"   by   Spence  Lev^is.    Cambridge 
Manuals  of  Science  and  Literature. 

L.  S.  Hasbeouck. 


VI 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 
PftOLOGUE 

I.     Myths  and  Monuments  of  Ancient 

Mexico  ......  1 

II.     A  Child  in  the  Aztec  Capital           .  11 

III.     Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Aztecs  24 

IV.     Early    Spanish   Explorations          .  42 

V.     The  Boy  who  was  born  to  Adven- 
ture— Fernando  Cortes       .         .49 

VI.     Cortes   Gains  a  Foothold  on   the 

Mexican    Coast    ....  60 

VII.     The  Rich  City  of  the  True  Cross  73 

VIII.     On    to    Mexico          ....  82 

IX.     Kidnapping    a    Monarch          .         .  103 

X.     The    Revolt    of    the    Aztecs          .  125 

XI.     The   Aztec    Gods   Depart   Forever  137 

XII.     After  the  Conquest          .         .         .  147 

XIII.     Mexico   Under   the   Viceroys          .  160 

/  XIV.     The  Revolution  for  Independence 

(as    told    by    Pipila)           .         .  183 

XV.     Iturbide  and  Santa  Anna          .         .  208 
vii 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVI.  The  Revolt  of  Texas       .         .         .216 

XVII.  War  with  the  United  States          .     226 

XVIII.  Benito  Juarez,   the  Little  Indian     243 

XIX.  Maximilian,   Meddler  and   Martyr     249 

XX.  Diaz  —  the    Despot          .         .         .280 

XXI.  The    Fall    of    Diaz          .         .         .296 

XXII.  Madero  and  Huerta          .         .         .     304 

XXIII.  Carranza  and  Villa          .         .         .     312 


Vlll 


LIST  GF  ILLUSTKATIONS 
Venustiano  Cakranza         .         .         .        Frontispiece 


The  House  of  the  Nuns  at  Uxmal  . 

PACING 
PAGE 

8 

Fernando     Cortez  . 

. 

. 

56 

Montezuma  II.  and  the  Temple  of 
Sacrifice  ..... 

Human 

112 

Festival  Day  on  the 

Plaza 

. 

178 

The  Alamo 

. 

•         • 

224 

Diaz 

. 

. 

292 

Cathedral  of  Mexico— 

-Mexico  City 

. 

320 

IX 


MEXICO 

FROM  CORTES  TO  CARRANZA 

CHAPTER  I 
MYTHS  AND  MONUMENTS  OF  ANCIENT  MEXICO 

Foe  centuries  upon  centuries  Mexico,  that  great  un- 
quiet land  to  the  south  of  us,  has  been  the  home  of  more 
or  less  civilized  peoples.  There  was  luxury  and  refine- 
ment there  at  the  time  Columbus  sailed  the  seas.  There 
are  ruins  of  gi'eat  buildings  there  to-day  whose  origin 
is  more  mysterious  than  that  of  the  Pyramids  of  Egypt. 
There  are  stories  of  races  who  grew  great  and  perished, 
no  one  knows  when  nor  how.  All  that  is  left  to  us  of 
Mexican  history  before  the  Spanish  Conquest  are  a 
few  names,  a  few  guesses,  a  few  "picture-writings,"  and 
these  stories.     We  shall  hear  some  of  the  latter. 

On  the  great  table-land  of  Mexico,  with  its  healthful, 
temperate  climate,  a  succession  of  shadowy  early  peo- 
ples fought  with  each  other  for  supremacy.  The  de- 
feated ones  passed  on,  usually  to  the  hot  and  humid 
Gulf  Coast  or  to  Yucatan  and  Central  and  South  Amer- 
ica.    The  first  of  these  that  we  hear  of  was  a  race  of 

1 


MEXICO 

giants,  the  Quinames.  These  fell  before  the  Xicalan- 
cans,  "People  of  the  Land  of  Pumpkins/'  and  the 
Ulmecas,  "People  of  the  Rubber  Lands,"  who  in  turn 
left  the  plateau  and  settled  on  the  Gulf. 

After  them  came  the  mysterious  Mayas,  whose  de- 
scendants live  in  Yucatan  to-day.  They  are  said  to  be 
responsible  for  the  ruins  of  the  dead  cities  buried  in 
the  jungles  of  Yucatan — the  ruins  whose  walls,  built 
of  great  blocks  of  stone  and  covered  with  rich  and  in- 
tricate carvings,  are  the  delight  and  despair  of  ex- 
plorers, who  try  to  reconstruct  from  them  a  long- 
vanished  civilization. 

Then  came  a  ruder  race,  the  Otomis,  who  at  one  time 
peopled  the  whole  Mexican  plateau,  and  whose  descend- 
ants still  live  on  the  plateau  of  Guanajuato  and  Quere- 
taro.     And  last  came  the  Nahuas,  who  made  history. 

Who  were  these  Il^ahuas,  the  not  very  far-back  an- 
cestors of  the  highly  civilized  Indians  whom  the  Span- 
ish conquered?  Where  did  they  come  from,  and  how 
did  they  gain  their  civilization,  equal  in  many  respects 
to  that  of  their  conquerors?  This  is  a  subject  which 
we  seem  to  know  less  about,  the  more  we  study  it! 
A  great  student  of  these  matters,  Lord  Kingsborough, 
went  insane  after  writing  nine  large  volumes  on  early 
Mexican  history;  while  another  scholar,  after  twenty- 
five  years  of  study,  admitted  that  he  was  still  in  doubt 
of  almost  everything!  IsTot  many  years  after  the  Con- 
quest there  were  more  than  forty  theories  as  to  who 


MYTHS  AND  MONUMENTS 

these  Indians  were.  Now,  after  several  hundred  years 
of  study,  the  experts  have  reduced  the  list  considerably. 

Away  up  in  British  Columbia,  there  lives  to-day  a 
group  of  Indian  tribes  called  the  Haidah.  Jf  you  are 
ever  in  New  York  and  visit,  as  you  surely  will,  the 
American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  you  will  see 
their  totem  poles,  war-canoes,  baskets,  and  pottery,  with, 
perhaps,  a  reproduction  of  a  whole  Haidah  family  in 
and  about  a  wigwam. 

These  Indians  have  a  peculiar  sort  of  sculpture,  and 
distinctive  religious  beliefs,  which  indicate  a  very 
ancient  history.  One  of  their  principal  gods,  called 
different  names  by  different  tribes,  is  the  ''Man  of  the 
Sun,"  who  descended  from  the  sun  in  the  shape  of  a 
bird  and  became  a  man  to  teach  the  people  civilization. 

A  similar  god,  under  a  different  name,  was  wor- 
shiped by  the  Indians  on  the  Mexican  plateau  centuries 
before  the  coming  of  white  men.  He  was  Quetzalcoatl, 
the  "Fair  God,"  who  had  sailed  away  towards  the  East, 
and  whose  return,  or  that  of  his  descendants,  was 
dreaded  by  the  Emperor  Montezuma. 

When  we  look  at  the  art-forms,  the  carved  totem- 
poles,  pottery,  etc.,  of  these  British  Columbian  Indians, 
we  see  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  sculpture  of  the 
ancient  Mexicans.  These  things  lead  some  scientists 
to  believe  that  the  Aztecs,  or  Mexicans,  who  gave  the 
Mexican  plateau  its  name,  and  who  lived  there  at  the 
time  of  the   Spanish  conquest,   came  originally  from 

3 


MEXICO 

the  Far  N^orth.  But  where  tbej  came  from  before 
then,  nobody  knows.  Perhaps  from  Asia,  the  cradle 
of  the  human  race,  by  way  of  Behring  Strait,  then  pos- 
sibly dry  land.  There  is  something  decidedly  Asiatic 
in  the  appearance  and  customs  of  the  Mexican  Indians. 
One  thing  must  be  remembered,  they  are  of  a  totally 
different  stock  from  the  ''Bed  Men"  or  North  American 
Indians. 

This  theory  that  the  Nahuas  came  from  the  north 
agrees  with  their  own  stories.  They  think  that  they 
came  to  Mexico  by  way  of  the  "Land  of  Sand."  (Per- 
haps the  Great  American  Desert?)  The  Mexicans  in 
particular  reached  Mexico,  they  say,  from  a  legendary 
land  called  "Aztlan,"  by  way  of  "Tlapallan,"  the  ''Place 
of  Bright  Colors,"  a  seacoast  country.     (California?) 

The  first  of  the  Nahua  tribes  to  settle  on  the  Mexican 
plateau  was  the  Toltecs.  Their  capital  was  supposed 
to  have  been  Tollan,  near  the  present  town  of  Tula. 
-Certainly  there  are  at  Tollan  ruins  of  extensive  build- 
ings which  must  have  been  built  by  some  people,  and 
why  not  the  Toltecs,  whose  name  means  "builders"  ?' 

These  Toltecs,  according  to  the  stories,  were  strong, 
well-built  people,  of  a  lighter  complexion  than  most 
Indians,  and  with  scanty  beards.  They  were  gentle- 
mannered,  intelligent,  loyal,  swift  runners,  brave,  and 
cruel  in  war.  They  understood  agriculture,  studied  the 
stars  and  regulated  their  time  and  calendar  by  them, 
used  plants  for  medicine,  and  were  very  artistic,  as  was 

4 


MYTHS  AND  MONUMENTS 

shown  by  the  beautiful  jewelry  they  made  of  gold  and 
silver  and  precious  stones,  and  their  attractive  garments 
of  cotton  and  other  fabrics. 

These  gentle  Indians  thought  that  they  owed  their 
knowledge  of  all  these  things  to  Quetzalcoatl,  the  Fair 
God,  the  tall  white  man  who  came  from  the  East,  as 
some  of  their  legends  say,  or  who  descended  from  the 
sun  in  the  form  of  a  bird,  as  others  have  it.  ,It  may 
be  that  he  was  a  European,  drifted  somehow  to  their 
shores.  He  stayed  with  the  Toltecs  twenty  years,  and 
during  that  time,  they  declared,  flowers  and  fruit  grew 
without  cultivation,  the  cotton  turned  blue,  yellow  and 
red  in  the  pod,  the  air  was  sweet  with  perfumes  and 
filled  with  the  songs  of  birds.  And  there  was  peace 
and  good-will  in  the  land,  for  every  man  loved  his 
neighbor.  It  was  the  Golden  Age  of  the  Toltecs,  but, 
alas,  too  short.  Quetzalcoatl  left  the  city  of  Cholula, 
which  he  had  made  his  headquarters,  and  said  good-by 
to  the  land  of  the  Toltecs.  He  descended  the  steep  slope 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  sailed  away  upon  a  raft  of 
serpent  skins,  to  the  unknown  land  of  Tlalpalla.  But 
before  he  left  he  told  his  sorrowing  followers  that  one 
day  his  descendants,  white  men  with  full  beards,  like 
his,  would  come  to  them  and  teach  them. 

Beliefs  make  history.  Who  the  Fair  God  really  was, 
or  whether  he  ever  existed,  we  do  not  know ;  but  we  do 
know  that  the  belief  in  him  was  the  main  thing  which 
helped  a  mere  handful  of  Spaniards  to  conquer  a  vast 

5 


MEXICO 

number  of  Mexicans  and  overthrow  their  civilization, 
and  therefore  it  is  important  to  remember. 

It  is  said  that  one  of  the  Toltec  queens  first  dis- 
covered how  to  make  an  intoxicating  drink  out  of  the 
maguey,  that  stiff,  tinny-looking  plant  which  looms  so 
large  in  Mexican  history.  Its  leaves  were  used  for 
paper,  and  as  a  thatch  for  houses,  its  fibers  for  thread, 
its  thorns  for  pins  and  needles,  its  roots  for  food ;  and 
as  if  this  were  not  enough,  Xochitl  must  needs  make 
it  into  a  hurtful  drink.  As  a  result,  the  nation  began 
to  deteriorate,  and  the  Chichimecs,  a  fierce  neighbor- 
ing tribe,  found  it  easy  to  invade  their  land  and  over- 
whelm them.  This  was  about  1116  A.  D.  The  Toltec 
kingdom  is  supposed  to  have  lasted  about  four  hundred 
years.  The  Chichimecs  adopted  the  civilization  of  the 
Toltecs  and  overran  the  territory  of  a  large  part  of 
present  Mexico,  including  the  states  of  Morelos  and 
Puebla,  a  part  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  gi*eater  part  of 
Hidalgo,  the  whole  of  Tlascalla,  and  the  Valley  of 
Mexico.  In  the  thirteenth  century  they  moved  their 
capital  from  Tollan  to  Texcuco,  named  from  Lake 
Te:^cuco,  on  which  the  City  of  Mexico  now  stands. 

They  had  to  fight  for  their  possession  of  this  dis- 
puted plateau.  Immigration  from  the  north  was  still 
going  on,  and  other  tribes  of  the  Nahua  family  were 
settling  in  the  neighborhood.  Two  main  bodies  of 
these  tribes  were  the  Aculhuaques  and  the  Tepanecs, 
who  each  founded  pueblos  (villages)  on  the  lake.     An- 

6 


MYTHS  AND  MONUMENTS 

other  was  a  miserable  little  wandering  tribe,  homeless, 
squalid,  and  bloodthirsty,  wearing  patches  of  gum  and 
feathers  upon  their  ears  and  foreheads,  who  arrived  on 
the  border  of  Lake  Texcuco  after  the  other  two  men- 
tioned, and  were  bitterly  despised  by  them.  They 
settled  first  upon  the  hill  of  Chapultepec,  high  above 
the  lake,  with  a  spring  of  clear  water — a  too-desirable 
spot,  from  which  they  were  soon  driven  out  by  the 
Chichimecs  and  Tepanecs.  The  newcomers  took  refuge 
then  upon  some  islands  in  the  lake  of  Texcuco.  Here 
they  built  themselves  frail  huts  of  reeds  and  rushes, 
lived  on  a  meager  diet  of  fish  and  insects,  and  served 
their  neighbors  as  slaves.  These  despised  and  humble 
creatures  were  no  other  than  the  Aztecs,  or  Mexicans, 
who  were  to  become  the  rulers  of  the  entire  valley. 

According  to  their  own  legends,  the  Aztecs  had  been 
wandering  from  their  ancient  home  for  about  six  hun- 
dred years,  stopping  here  and  there  to  settle  for  a 
time,  and  build  houses  and  temples.  Each  time  they 
moved,  their  priests  directed  them  when  and  where 
to  go.  Finally  they  reached  the  Mexican  plateau. 
They  liked  the  appearance  of  the  great  oval  plain,  sur- 
rounded by  snow-capped  mountains,  and  carrying  the 
great  Lake  of  Texcuco  like  a  jewel  in  its  bosom. 
Their  priests  commanded  them  to  stop  at  Chapultepec. 
Driven  out  from  there,  they  huddled  on  the  lake  islands 
until  they  should  be  able  to  gain  something  better. 
Their    name    Aztec,    meaning    ''Crane    People,"    was  I 

7 


MEXICO 

given  them  by  the  Tepanecs,  perhaps  because  they 
lived  like  cranes  in  the  marshes ;  their  name  of  Mexi- 
cans they  had  given  themselves  from  the  name  of  their 
war-god,  Mexitli. 

Soon  the  Tepanecs,  the  neighboring  lake-tribe,  real- 
ized that  the  "Crane  People"  could  fight.  They  helped 
the  Tepanecs  in  their  perpetual  war  against  the  Chichi- 
mecs  with  great  success.  But  the  Tepanecs,  instead 
of  being  grateful,  were  jealous,  especially  since  the 
Aztecs  now  refused  to  pay  tribute,  and  demanded  per- 
mission to  build  an  aqueduct  to  the  main  land,  osten- 
sibly to  carry  water,  but  really,  the  Tepanecs  feared, 
for  purposes  of  invasion.  The  Tepanecs  refused  them 
permission  to  build  it,  and,  moreover,  stopped  trading 
with  them.  This  was  a  great  blow  to  the  Crane 
People,  who  depended  upon  trading  their  fish  and  game 
for  wood,  stone  and  other  necessities  which  the  Tepanecs 
could  furnish  them.  The  Tepanecs,  to  punish  still 
further  these  rebellious  slaves,  caused  the  chief  of  one 
of  their  villages  to  be  assassinated,  and  the  other  chief 
to  be  captured. 

The  Crane  People  rose  as  one  man.  Another  chief, 
(Izcohuatl,  with  thirteen  captains,  led  his  people  to 
a  great  battle  in  which  the  Tepanecs  were  utterly  de- 
feated, with  great  slaughter.  The  Tepanec  capital 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Aztecs.  This  was  in  or 
about  the  year  1428.  Izcohuatl  and  the  thirteen  cap- 
tains are  still  remembered  as  heroes  in  Mexican  history. 

8 


The  House  of  the  Nuns  at  Uxmal. 


MYTHS  AND  MONUMENTS 

The  sun  had  now  fairly  risen  upon  the  Aztecs,  and 
the  day  of  their  power  was  to  be  dazzling  to  the  last 
degree.  Three  kings  followed,  all  brothers  of  each 
other  and  of  the  first  king.  Each  was  more  warlike, 
enterprising  and  cruel  than  the  last.  There  is  no 
especial  need  for  us  nowadays '  to  distinguish  between 
them,  or  even  to  remember  their  long  names.  It  is 
enough  to  know  that  under  their  reign,  Mexican  mer- 
chants penetrated  farther  into  the  country  and  Mexi- 
can armies  conquered  ever  more  widely.  Finally,  with 
a  few  exceptions,  all  the  country  east  to  the  Gulf  and 
west  to  Michoacan,  south  to  Yucatan  and  north  nearly 
as  far  as  what  is  now  Texas  came  under  the  influence 
of  the  former  insect-eaters.  The  exceptions  are  worth 
noticing.  They  were  the  districts  of  Cholula  and 
Tlascalla,  between  the  coast  and  the  capital.  Upon 
the  people  of  these  places  the  Mexicans  were  in  the 
habit  of  making  bloody  wars  in  order  to  obtain  victims 
to  sacrifice  to  their  war-gods.  When  the  Spaniards 
came,  they  found  these  little  mountain  republics  full 
of  warriors  eager  to  avenge  themselves  on  the  Aztecs. 

The  conquering  Mexicans  on  their  plateau  supplied 
themselves  with  everything  that  they  needed,  with  tlie 
help  of  the  tribes  under  their  influence.  From  those 
near  the  Gulf  they  got  raw  cotton,  which  they  made 
into  beautiful  garments,  fresh  fish  (it  is  said  that  swift 
runners  brought  fish  from  the  coast  to  Montezuma  every 
twenty-four   hours)  ;    from   others,   gold    and   precious 

9 


MEXICO 

stones  for  their  jewelry;  from  others,  building  materi- 
als and  so  on.  Thus  their  homes  and  lives  grew  ever 
more  comfortable  and  luxurious. 

Under  the  successive  reigns  of  the  three  brothers, 
the  great  temple  or  teocalli  to  Huitzilopochtli  the  war- 
god  was  built,  causeways  were  constructed  from  the 
island  to  the  main  land,  and  dikes  built  to  prevent 
the  city  from  being  flooded  by  the  waters  of  the  lake  in 
rainy  seasons. 

In  1503,  Montezuma  II  came  to  the  throne — a 
humble-minded  priest,  apparently,  sweeping  down  the 
stairs  in  the  great  temple  when  they  summoned  him  to 
the  kingship.  Under  his  reign  Mexico  was  to  reach 
its  greatest  magnificence  and  its  downfall. 

We  have  read  this  brief  story  of  the  history  previous 
to  Montezuma.  Let  us  do  what  is  more  interesting, 
go  back  and  live  for  a  time  in  the  beautiful  city  of  the 
Aztecs. 


CHAPTER  II 
A  CHILD  IN  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

If  any  Mexican  child  wished  to  know  the  meaning 
of  the  long  name  of  the  principal  city  of  the  country, 
Tenochtitlan,  he  was  told  the  following  story. 

When  the  Aztecs  first  arrived  in  the  lake  region, 
about  one  hundred  years  before  the  coming  of  Monte- 
zuma II  to  the  throne,  they  were  told  by  their  priests 
that  the  War-god,  Huitzilopochtli,  had  decreed  that  they 
should  found  a  city,  on  a  spot  to  be  indicated  as  fol- 
lows. They  should  see  a  nopal,  a  kind  of  cactus,  grow- 
ing from  a  rock,  and  sitting  upon  it  an  eagle,  with  a 
snake  in  its  beak.  On  the  shore  of  Lake  Texcuco  the 
Aztecs  suddenly  came  upon  this  very  combination  of 
objects.  To  make  things  doubly  sure,  a  priest  straight- 
way dived  into  a  pool  to  ask  Tlaloc,  the  god  of  the 
waters,  if  they  might  build  there.  So,  according  to  the 
legend,  was  the  city  begun;  and  its  very  name, 
Tenochtitlan,  signifies,  the  Place  of  the  Stone  and  the 
Nopal.  An  eagle  perched  upon  a  cactus  with  a  snake 
in  its  mouth  formed  the  coat-of-arms  of  the  old  Mexican 

11 


MEXICO 

kings,  and  upon  the  Mexican  flag  to-day  is  the  same 
emblem. 

According  to  modem  ideas,  the  War-god  did  not  use 
very  good  judgment  in  his  choice  of  a  site,  for  the 
ground  under  Tenochtitlan  is  low  and  marshy.  But 
this  led  to  an  arrangement  picturesque  and  interesting, 
if  not  entirely  convenient.  Canals  were  cut  by  these 
enterprising  Aztecs  through  the  islands  and  marshes, 
to  serve  instead  of  streets,  and  traffic  was  carried  on  in 
canoes,  which  darted  to  and  fro  as  unconcernedly,  and 
far  more  quietly  and  gracefully,  than  the  automobiles 
in  our  streets.  Many  of  the  canals  had  basins  and 
locks  for  retaining  the  waters,  and  were  spanned  by 
bridges  which  could  be  drawn  up  at  will  in  case  of 
attack  by  an  enemy. 

A  child  of  this  old  Aztec  city,  given  a  ride  in  one  of 
these  jolly  canoes,  which  were  made  of  hollow  logs, 
would  pass  between  shining  silvery  houses,  raised  on 
terraces  from  the  watery  street.  The  open  doors  of 
these  houses  would  give  glimpses  of  delightful  court- 
gardens,  where  fountains  cooled  the  air,  flowers  nodded 
their  bright  heads,  and  families  gathered  to  enjoy 
their  leisure  hours.  Around  the  court,  in  the  houses 
of  the  well-to-do,  were  large,  airy  rooms,  with  hard, 
smooth  cement  floors,  and  walls  covered  with  cotton  and 
featherwork  tapestries  in  brilliant  colors.  There  was 
little  furniture  in  these  rooms — only  mats  and  cushions 
of  furs,  cotton  and  palm-leaves,  which  served  as  beds 

12 


A  CHILD  IN  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

and  couches,  some  low  wooden  benches  and  tables,  and 
bamboo  screens,  which  took  the  place  of  doors.  From 
the  open  doors  came  perhaps  to  the  nose  of  our  little 
Aztec  the  odor  of  sweet  incense,  the  gum  called  copal 
burned  in  earthen  braziers  filled  with  hot  coals. 

These  houses  were  made  of  large  hewn  stones  held 
together  with  cement,  the  whole  surface  covered  with 
a  sort  of  plaster  which  glistened  in  the  sun.  The 
poorer  people  had  houses  made  of  adobe  or  reeds  mixed 
with  mud,  also  coated  with  plaster,  and  built  on  the 
same  general  plan  as  those  of  the  rich,  with  an  open 
court  in  the  center,  which  might  thriftily  be  used  as 
a  vegetable  garden,  and  a  roof  thatched  with  long  grass. 

Let  us  imagine  such  a  child,  and  what  else  he  would 
see  if  he  came  from  some  village  in  the  country  to  visit 
in  Tenochtitlan.  And  since  even  an  imaginary  boy 
must  have  a  name,  we  will  give  him  the  name  Axaya- 
catl,  after  one  of  the  old  Mexican  kings,  and  call  him 
Axa  for  short !  ^ 

"What  a  crowd!"  Axa  exclaims,  as  they  approach 
the  market;  and  indeed,  the  great  square,  with  its 
countless  booths,  is  thronged  with  so  many  people  that 
they  make  a  noise  like  a  huge  hive  of  bees,  which 
can  be  heard  for  some  miles  away.  Yet  there  is  per- 
fect order.     The  people  are  dark-skinned,  gentle-voiced, 

*The  details  concerning  Aztec  life  and  social  customs  con- 
tained in  this  and  the  following  chapter  are  drawn  mainly  from 
the  interesting  account  of  these  matters  given  in  Hubert  Howe 
Bancroft's  "History  of  Mexico." 

13 


MEXICO 

with  agreeable,  cheerful  manners.  Men  and  women 
are  dressed  much  alike,  in  loose,  flowing,  colored  cot- 
ton garments,  with  ornamental  borders,  or  decorated 
with  birds'  feathers  laid  closely  one  upon  the  other 
in  elaborate  designs.  Over  these  are  thrown  garments 
of  rabbits'  fur  or  other  small  skins  when  the  weather 
is  cool.  The  hair  of  the  women  hangs  loosely  upon 
their  shoulders,  as  the  hair  of  Mexican  women  does 
to-day.  And  everywhere  there  are  flowers:  wreaths 
on  the  dark  heads,  fresh,  fragrant  masses  of  them  on 
the  booths.  From  the  dawn  of  their  history  the  Mexi- 
cans have  been  flower-lovers. 

Axa  wanders  in  and  out  among  the  booths,  filled  with 
curiosity  about  the  different  strange  and  delightful 
wares.  There  are  merchants  keeping  close  guard  over 
piles  of  gold  and  silver  ornaments,  little  ducks,  lizards, 
and  all  sorts  of  birds  and  animals  and  natural  objects, 
often  set  with  glittering  jewels,  especially  a  stone  the 
color  of  an  emerald,  called  by  the  Aztecs  chalchuite, 
and  now  known  as  a  kind  of  jade.  A  more  useful 
booth  displays  cups  and  painted  pitchers  of  wood;  an- 
other, pottery  bowls,  platters  and  water-bottles,  very 
like  the  ones  made  in  Mexico  to-day;  another,  ropes 
and  sandals  made  from  nequen;  another,  paper  made 
from  maguey  fiber.  Pungent  odors  call  attention  to 
the  wares  of  the  merchant  who  sells  dried  herbs  for 
medicine  and  cooking.  The  incense  booth  also  pro- 
claims itself.     The  heap  of  bright  red  powder  there 

14 


A  CHILD  IN  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

is  cocliineal,  made  from  dried  insects,  and  used  in  dye- 
ing; there  are  species  of  dye-woods  also  for  sale  at 
this  table. 

And  the  food!  Axa's  mouth  waters  as  he  looks  at 
the  various  eatables  for  sale.  Game  and  poultry  (tur- 
keys, ducks,  rabbits,  hares,  deer  and  dogs),  glistening 
scaly  fish  caught  in  the  Gulf  waters  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours  before,  lake  fish  also,  dried  fish,  frogs,  beans, 
tomatoes,  red  and  green  peppers,  turkey  eggs  and  turtle 
eggs,  shrimps;  piles  upon  piles  of  hot  tortillas  (corn 
cakes)  all  ready  to  eat,  also  various  kinds  of  bread 
made  of  maize  flour  and  eggs.  To  eat  with  them, 
honey  and  sweetmeats. 

"Not  so  nice  to  look  at  and  not  at  all  nice  to  smell 
are  masses  of  a  dark,  powdery  substance,  dried  ants  and 
maguey  flies,  of  which  cakes  are  made.  The  Aztecs 
probably  formed  a  taste  for  this  food  when  the  enmity 
of  the  neighboring  tribes  prevented  their  getting  any- 
thing to  eat  but  the  fish  and  insects  of  the  lake.  An- 
other delicacy  dating  from  this  period  of  their  history 
is  a  kind  of  bread  made  from  the  mud  or  slime  from 
the  lake,  which  tastes  like  cheese.  There  are  also 
seeds  of  the  wild  amaranth,  tule  (bullrush)  roots  and 
cooked  maguey  roots. 

It  would  take  too  long  to  tell  of  all  -the  articles  which 
Axa  sees  in  this  market  of  long  ago,  but  one  more  item 
of  merchandise  may  be  mentioned — the  slaves,  usually 

15 


MEXICO 

war-captives,  who  are  exhibited,  with  ropes  around 
their  necks,  to  prospective  buyers. 

Half  of  the  fun  of  the  market  for  Axa  is  the  trading. 
There  are  disputes  about  prices,  but  these  are  seldom 
serious,  for  the  Aztecs  are  not  quarrelsome.  Besides, 
there  ar©  policemen  to  preserve  order.  No  coins  are 
used,  but  instead,  one  kind  of  goods  may  be  traded 
for  another,  or  payment  is  made  in  grains  of  cacao, 
which  are  counted  out  in.great  numbers.  When  the  piles 
of  cacao  become  too  large,  pieces  of  tin  shaped  like  the 
letter  T  are  used  instead.  They  have  no  value  in 
themselves,  but  represent  a  certain  amount  of  cacao. 
Sometimes,  for  very  valuable  purchases,  gold-dust  con- 
tained in  transparent  goose-quills  is  paid  over. 

After  a  while  Axa  has  had  enough  of  the  market, 
and  tells  the  servant  who  has  accompanied  him  to 
town  that  he  is  going  for  a  walk  about  the  city.  All 
the  streets  of  this  Tenochtitlan  are  not  water  streets, 
but  some  are  smooth  cement  avenues,  wide  and  lined 
with  trees.  Following  one  of  these,  Axa  comes  soon  upon 
a  beautiful  park,  whose  shady  walks  wind  between 
rare  trees,  shrubs  and  flowering  plants  from  all  parts 
of  Montezuma's  kingdom,  and  whose  lawns  are  inter- 
spersed with  both  fresh  and  salt  water  ponds,  filled 
with  all  kinds  of  water  fowl  of  every  shade  of  plumage. 
But  what  excites  Axa  even  more  than  these  are  the 
sounds  which  come  from  a  large  gi'oup  of  buildings 
well  within  the  park — roars  and  chatterings,  bird-calls 

16 


A  CHILD  IN  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

and  snake-hisses.  It  is  the  menagerie  or  "Zoo"  where 
Montezuma  keeps  all  the  fauna  of  Mexico. 

A  particularly  ferocious  roar  draws  him  to  the 
open  court,  with  low  wooden  cages,  in  which  pace  the 
tigers,  jackals,  foxes  and  other  wild  beasts  of  the 
Mexican  mountains  and  plains.  Keepers  are  feeding 
these  with  raw  meat.  After  watching  them  gTilp  their 
dinner,  Axa  descends  to  a  subterranean  chamber,  roofed 
partly  with  slabs  of  stone  and  partly  with  wooden  grat- 
ings, where  are  kept  the  birds  of  prey.  Five  hundred 
turkeys  are  killed  every  day  to  provide  them  with  food. 
In  a  great  hall  upstairs  are  the  songsters,  beautiful 
little  birds  of  all  colors.  One  species  of  bird  about  as 
large  as  a  sparrow  shows  in  its  plumage  five  distinct 
colors,  green,  red,  white,  yellow  and  blue.  Then  there 
are  bright  green  quezales,  whose  feathers  are  much  used 
for  decorative  purposes,  and  gorgeous  parrots.  Here 
and  there  among  the  live  songsters  are  birds  of  gold 
or  silver,  wrought  very  carefully  and  exactly  in  cor- 
rect imitation  of  rare  birds  which  it  had  been  impos- 
sible to  obtain  alive  for  the  aviary. 

At  a  safe  distance  are  the  long  cages  housing  the 
snakes.  One  is  filled  entirely  with  rattlesnakes,  which 
are  fed  on  fresh  meat,  dog-meat,  and,  alas,  human 
sacrifices  from  the  templee. 

After  looking  at  these,  Axa  goes  to  the  arsenal, 
where  he  sees  the  terrible  double-edged  swords  of 
obsidian,   volcanic  glass  so  sharp  it  can  cut  a  man's 

17 


MEXICO 

head  off  at  a  single  blow ;  also  bows  and  arrows,  slings, 
shields  of  wood,  arrowproof  armor  of  quilted  and  feath- 
ered cotton,  and  helmets  of  wood  or  bone,  crested  with 
plumes. 

Suddenly  there  is  a  noise  outside,  and  one  of  the 
keepers  of  the  arsenal  says  to  Axa, 

"Montezuma  is  approaching  on  his  way  to  the 
temple !  If  you  stand  at  the  door,  you  may  see  him ; 
but  mind  that  you  keep  your  eyes  downcast  as  he 
passes,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you!" 

Axa  crouches  in  the  shadow  of  the  doorway.  A 
gorgeously  dressed  official,  holding  a  wand  in  each 
hand,  stalks  by  first,  to  give  warning  of  the  King's 
approach,  and  clear  the  road  of  wayfarers.  N^ext  come 
a  number  of  courtiers,  also  gorgeously  dressed,  but 
walking  in  silence,  with  downcast  eyes,  as  must  all 
those  who  attend  the  monarch,  except  his  nearest  rela- 
tives. Cats  may  have  looked  at  kings  in  old  Mexico, 
but  no  mere  subjects  were  permitted  to.  Swaying  on 
the  shoulders  of  four  nobles  is  now  seen  the  King's 
litter,  canopied  and  bordered  with  trappings  of 
feather-work  and  jewels;  and  on  it  rides  the  King,  the 
great  Montezuma. 

So  dark  is  the  corner  where  Axa  hides,  and  so  long 
and  dark  the  eyelashes  of  the  Aztec  boy,  that  somehow 
he  manages  to  steal  a  look  at  the  monarch  without 
being  detected;  and  this  is  what  he  sees.  A  slender 
man,  the  coffee  of  his  complexion  mixed  with  more 

18 


A  CHILD  li^  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

cream  than  usual  in  Mexico,  a  thin,  handsome  face, 
and  fine  eyes,  which  Axa  thinks  might  look  either 
severe  or  kind,  as  occasion  requires.  There  is  an  ex- 
pression on  his  face  which  puzzles  Axa;  a  sad  ex- 
pression, no,  more  than  sad,  a  look  of  fear.  What 
is  it  that  Montezuma  dreads  ?  Is  he  not  king  of  all 
Mexico,  and  has  he  not  everything  to  make  him  happy  ? 
Are  not  three  hundred  dishes  of  delicious  food  served 
to  him  on  porcelain  plates  at  each  meal  by  the  most 
beautiful  girls  in  the  kingdom,  with  golden  pitchers 
full  of  rich  chocolate  beaten  to  a  froth  ?  Does  he  not 
sit  in  his  palace  upon  softest  embroidered  cushions, 
with  a  gold  screen  to  protect  his  kingly  person  from 
the  heat  of  the  fire,  which  throws  out  an  exquisite  odor 
of  cedar  and  other  scented  woods  ?  Has  he  not  the 
very  ugliest  imaginable  humpbacked  dwarfs  to  amuse 
him  with  their  antics?  Are  not  beautifully  painted 
and  gilt  tubes,  filled  with  liquid  amber  and  the  pre- 
cious herb  called  "tabaco,"  handed  him  after  meals, 
that  he  may  inhale  their  smoke  and  so  fall  into  a  re- 
freshing sleep  ?  When  he  desires  exercise,  may  he  not 
play  the  game  of  totoloc  with  golden  balls,  or  visit  his 
pleasure  houses  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  or  hunt  in 
special  preserves,  where  none  but  himself  is  permitted 
to  kill  the  deer,  hare  and  rabbits  ?  What  could  mortal 
man  want  other  than  this  ?  Yet  the  shadow  is  there, 
on  the  King's  pale  face;  and  as  Axa  observes  it,  the 
intuition  which  simple  people  often  possess  whispers 

19 


MEXICO 

to  him  that  it  will  spread  and  spread  till  it  covers  all 
of  Montezuma's  kingdom. 

But  Axa  is  only  a  boy,  and  premonitions  are  quickly 
forgotten  in  the  excitement  of  following  the  royal  pro- 
cession to  the  temple.  Soon  he  reaches  the  great  lime- 
stone wall,  more  than  a  mile  long,  which  encloses  the 
sacred  courtyard,  and  enters  the  gate.  Over  the  white 
sandstone  pavements  of  the  yard  pass  and  repass  a 
multitude  of  people:  priests,  nuns,  attendants  and 
school-children,  all  of  whose  duty  it  is  to  keep  the  place 
in  perfect  order  and  the  sacred  fires  in  front  of  the 
altars  perpetually  burning.  Montezuma's  cortege  has 
passed  the  many  smaller  temples,  each  with  its  court- 
yard and  idols,  and  has  paused  before  the  Great  Tem- 
ple where  Montezuma  alights,  to  make  the  ascent  of 
the  one  hundred  and  fourteen  steps  on  foot.  Axa 
watches  him  and  the  courtiers  w'ind  slowly  around  the 
building,  for  the  steps  are  so  arranged  that  worshipers 
must  walk  all  the  w^ay  around  the  temple  between  the 
successive  flights.  When  they  reach  the  summit  of 
the  great  edifice,  which  is  like  a  pyramid  wdth  the  top 
cut  off,  the  air  suddenly  thrills  with  the  strange,  melan- 
choly ''boom"  of  the  huge  serpent-skin  drum,  struck 
by  a  priest  to  announce  the  human  sacrifices  made  in 
honor  of  the  King's  visit.  As  far  as  eight  miles  away 
the  Indians  hear  it  and  tremble. 

The  sound  fills  Axa  with  such  terror  that  he  longs 
to  fly ;  but  his  feet  are  like  lead,  and  superstition  keeps. 

20 


A  CHILD  I:N^  the  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

him  rooted  to  the  spot.  As  soon  as  Montezuma  is 
through  worshiping  he,  too,  must  pay  his  respects  to 
these  dreadful  gods.  So  presently  he  finds  himself 
climbing  the  staircase,  with  trembling  knees.  His 
fright  is  not  lessened  as  he  enters  the  chapel  on  the  first 
floor.  There,  looming  dimly  through  clouds  of  in- 
cense, raised  upon  high  altars  of  stone,  he  sees  two 
enormous  idols,  covered  all  over  with  gold  and  precious 
stones.  The  one  at  the  right  has  a  great,  broad  face, 
with  distorted,  angry  eyes,  a  necklace  of  ornaments  rep- 
resenting human  hearts  around  his  neck,  serpents  wind- 
ing about  his  body,  a  bow  and  a  bunch  of  arrows  in  his 
hands.  This  is  the  terrible  War-god,  Huitzilopochtli. 
Beside  him  is  the  statue  of  a  page,  carrying  his  shield 
and  spear.  The  idol  at  the  left  has  a  face  like  a  bear, 
and  uncanny,  shining  eyes,  made  from  the  mirrorlike 
stone,  obsidian.  He  is  Tetzcatlipuca,  called  "The  Shin- 
ing Mirror."  Is  it  the  incense  from  the  pans  of  burn- 
ing copal  in  front  of  them  which  wavers,  or  do  they 
move  ?  Have  they  come  to  life,  to  show  their  fierce  de- 
light in  smoke  made  not  alone  by  copal,  but  by  the  hu- 
man hearts  that  burn  there  in  the  embers  ?  Many  vic- 
tims have  been  sacrificed  this  morning  on  the  huge 
stone  of  sacrifice,  a  block  of  jasper  five  feet  long  which 
stands  in  front  of  the  statue  of  the  war-god.  Its  con- 
vex top  shows  how  the  victims  lay,  with  chest  raised 
for  the  fatal  blow  of  the  executioner-priest's  obsidian 
knife.     There  is  blood  everywhere,   on  the  sacrificial 

21 


MEXICO 

stone,  the  altars,  the  pavements,  the  priests'  robes  and 
hands,  and  in  their  long  hair.  And  as  Axa  gazes  at 
the  dreadful  sights  and  hreathcs  in  the  foul  air,  even  his 
strong  Aztec  nerves  give  way,  he  feels  faint,  and  hur- 
riedly leaves  the  chapel,  not  daring  to  look  hack  lest  he 
should  meet  the  angry  glances  of  the  offended  gods.  He 
will  not  climb  to  the  next  story,  where  rest  the  ashes  of 
dead  monarchs  and  nobles,  still  less  to  the  upper  plat- 
form, where  are  other  chapels  with  horrible  idols  and 
the  great  serpent-skin  drum,  l^o,  he  descends  as  fast  as 
his  legs  will  carry  him  to  the  courtyard,  and  even  when 
he  is  in  the  midst  of  the  orderly,  busy  throng  he  is  not 
reassured.  For  there  are  other  temples  and  idols  all 
about,  and  suddenly  he  finds  himself  in  front  of  one 
which  is  shaped  like  the  great,  yawning  mouth  of  a  ser- 
pent, with  fangs  exposed.  Axa  is  not  tempted  to  ex- 
plore this  snake's  interior;  in  fact,  he  does  not  stop 
running  till  he  is  well  outside  the  courtyard  walls. 
Even  then  he  cannot  help  shuddering,  as,  looking  over 
his  shoulder,  he  sees  the  massive  bulk  of  the  great  tem- 
ple towering  over  all  the  other  buildings  in  the  city,  a 
great  whited  sepulcher,  pure  and  shining  without, 
within  full  of  all  abominations.  What  goes  on  in  Axa's 
mind  as  he  looks  at  it?  Does  he  accept  the  human 
sacrifices  as  a  necessity,  and  feel  ashamed  of  himself 
for  being  terrified  by  them  ?  Or  does  he  vaguely  rebel, 
wondering  why  such  things  have  to  be  in  this  beautiful 
land,  under  this  cloudless  sky,  and  long  for  a  day  when 

22 


A  CHILD  m  THE  AZTEC  CAPITAL 

no  more  hearts  shall  be  torn  from  living  victims,  when 
no  more  streams  of  blood  shall  trickle  down  the  sides  of 
the  stone  of  sacrifice, — a  day  when  the  fat  gods  with 
their  cruel  faces  shall  be  hurled  down  the  steps  of  the 
temple  and  broken  into  a  thousand  pieces  ? 

Let  us  hope  that  he  does ;  for  these  very  things  are 
to  happen  before  Axa  has  grown  to  be  a  man. 


CHAPTEE  III 
MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

When  Axa  first  entered  tlie  temple,  be  paused  to 
look  at  the  great  calendar  stone,  one  of  the  sights  of 
the  place.  It  was  twelve  feet  across,  and  tremendously 
heavy.  In  bringing  it  to  Tenocbtitlan  from  the  quarry, 
the  floating  bridge  on  which  it  was  taken  across  the 
lake  had  broken  down,  and  precipitated  the  stone  and 
many  of  the  priests  who  were  superintending  its  mov- 
ing to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  The  priests  were 
drowned,  but  the  stone  was  finally  raised  and  installed 
in  the  temple  with  many  human  sacrifices. 

Since  this  very  calendar  stone  is  to-day  on  exhibi- 
tion in  the  ISTational  Museum  of  Mexico,  we  may  look 
over  Axa's  shoulder  and  see  it  just  as  he  did. 

The  carvings  signify  the  Mexican  system  of  keeping 
time.  They  divided  time  into  cycles,  years  and  days. 
A  cycle  was  fifty-two  years.  The  year,  like  ours,  con- 
sisted of  three  hundred  and  sixty-five , days.  At  the 
end  of  every  cycle  they  added  (5>^  aays  which  served 
the  purpose  of  the  twenty-ninth  of  February  in  our 
Leap  Year  in  keeping  the  reckoning  correct,  but  were 

24 


MANN'ERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

nevertheless  considered  very  unlucky.  Each  year  was 
divided  into  eighteen  months  of  twenty  days  each,  and 
the  months  were  divided  into  four  weeks  of  five  days. 


The  Geeat  Calendar  Stone 


each.  Each  day  had  a  different  name,  such  as  "Mon- 
key," "Rain,"  "Small  Bird,"  "Sea  Animal,"  and  so 
on.  The  months  were  also  named,  such  extraordinary 
names  as  "Garlands  of  corn  on  the  necks  of  idols,"  or 
"Mother  of  the  Gods." 

25 


MEXICO 

The  Aztecs  could  not  have  divided  time  in  this  way 
if  they  had  not  been  versed  in  mathematics  and  able  to 
observe  accurately  the  movements  of  the  sun,  stars  and 
planets. 

After  Axa  left  the  temple,  he  went  to  the  house  of 
a  boy  friend  where  he  had  been  invited  to  make  a  visit. 
The  friend  was  named  Maxtla.  He  belonged  to  a  good 
family  who  lived  in  the  best  section  of  Tenochtitlan 
in  a  fine  stone  house. 

Axa,  upon  reaching  there,  found  to  his  great  delight 
that  preparations  for  a  party  were  in  progress.  The 
occasion  was  the  birthday  of  Maxtla's  father.  The 
servants,  under  the  direction  of  Maxtla's  mother  and 
sisters,  were  preparing  many  kinds  of  meat  and  fish, 
as  well  as  the  inevitable  tortillas  (corn  meal  cakes), 
frijoles  (beans)  and  tomato  sauces  without  which  no 
meal  is  complete  in  Mexico,  in  modern  times  as  well 
as  ancient. 

Shortly  the  guests  began  to  arrive,  richly  dressed  in 
gay  cotton  garments  embroidered  with  feathers,  and 
with  plumes  in  their  hair.  As  soon  as  they  entered 
the  house,  they  were  given  bouquets  of  flowers  in  token 
of  welcome.  The  host  saluted  those  of  a  superior  rank 
by  touching  his  hand  to  the  earth,  then  putting  it  to 
his  lips.  Special  grandees  had  pans  of  burning  copal 
waved  in  front  of  them. 

While  waiting  for  the  meal,  some  of  the  guests 
strolled  through  the  beautiful  courtyard,  admiring  the 

26 


MANKEES  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

grass  and  flowers.  Others  took  their  seats  on  mats  or 
stools  placed  against  the  walls.  All  were  carefully 
placed  according  to  age  and  rank.  Water  and  towels 
were  passed  by  the  servants,  in  order  that  they  might 
cleanse  their  hands  before  eating.  Next  came  pipes 
or  smoking  canes,  filled  with  liquid  amber  or  tobacco, 
of  which  each  guest  took  a  few  puffs.  This  was  sup- 
posed to  make  them  hungry. 

When  the  feast  began,  the  food,  which  had  been  kept 
warm  in  chafing-dishes,  was  served  on  artistic  plates 
of  gold,  silver,  earthenware  or  tortoise-shell.  Each  per- 
son, before  eating,  threw  a  small  piece  of  food  into  a 
lighted  brazier,  as  an  offering  to  the  god  of  fire.  When 
all  the  guests  had  finished  eating,  and  drinking  the 
rich,  sweet  chocolate  beaten  up  to  a  froth,  the  tables 
were  cleared,  and  the  servants  had  their  meal.  Then 
they  passed  bowls  of  water  again,  and  the  smoking- 
canes. 

After  the  dinner  came  music  and  dancing.  The 
party  did  not  break  up  until  midnight,  when  the 
guests  received  at  parting  presents  of  food,  robes,  cacao 
beans  and  other  things.  Maxtla's  people,  who  were 
rich,  could  afford  such  presents;  but  some  families  had 
been  known  to  sell  themselves  into  slavery  for  the  sake 
of  giving  a  single  lavish  feast,  by  which  they  hoped  to 
make  their  memory  immortal. 

Maxtla  and  his  family  and  their  guest  now  sought 
their  couches.     Axa  wanted  to  stay  awake  and  talk 

27 


MEXICO 

over  the  party,  but  he  was  so  tired  that  he  went  to 
sleep  as  soon  as  he  lay  down.  Jt  was  just  as  well,  for 
there  was  a  still  more  exciting  event  next  day. 

This  was  a  great  public  festival  given  in  the  Plaza 
in  honor  of  noblemen  come  to  visit  Montezuma.  Early 
in  the  morning  our  friends  hastened  to  the  Plaza  to 
take  part  in  the  dance.  Eor  weeks  the  choirs  and 
bands  belonging  to  the  temples  had  been  practicing 
music,  and  their  leaders  had  been  busy  composing  odes 
for  the  occasion.  Now  they  were  seated  on  mats  in 
the  square,  surrounded  by  crowds  of  people.  As  Axa 
and  his  companions  reached  there,  the  music  struck  up, 
and  the  dance  began.  The  musicians  were  in  the  cen- 
ter; around  them  was  a  small  circle  of  the  nobles  and 
old  men,  outside  them  another  circle  of  those  of  lower 
rank,  while  the  third,  a  large  one,  in  which  Axa  and 
Maxtla  found  places,  consisted  of  young  people.  It 
was  like  three  "Kings  around  a  Rosy."  Those  in  the 
inside  circle  moved  slowly,  in  the  next  somewhat  faster, 
while  the  young  people  on  the  outside  swung  round  at 
a  mad  pace.  All  sang  and  moved  their  feet,  arms, 
heads  and  bodies  in  time  to  the  music,  emphasizing 
their  movements  with  rattles. 

The  scene  was  a  brilliant  one,  t^  bright-colored  cot- 
ton robes,  gorgeous  feathers,  gleaming  gold  and  silver 
ornaments  and  gay  flowers  set  off  by  the  flowing  black 
hair  and  brown  skins  of  the  performers.     Some  of  the 

28 


mann:ers  and  customs  of  the  aztecs 

dancers  had  their  faces  painted  in  red,  blue,  yellow  and 
other  colors. 

The  motions  of  the  dance  were  continually  changing. 
Sometimes  the  dancers  held  each  other  by  the  hands, 
sometimes  by  the  waist,  now  one  took  his  left-hand 
neighbor  for  a  partner,  now  the  right.  The  songs  grew 
continually  higher  and  shriller  and  flutes,  trumpets, 
drums  and  whistles  louder.  When  exhausted  dancers 
dropped  out,  others  instantly  took  their  places.  So  the 
performance  continued  throughout  the  whole  day.  The 
jesters  and  clowns  meanwhile  wandered  to  and  fro 
among  the  crowd,  cutting  capers  and  making  jokes. 

Axa  and  Maxtla  ■  left  the  dance  after  a  whil''  to 
watch  a  drama  which  was  being  given  in  a  temple.  It 
w^as  a  sort  of  burlesque,  in  which  the  actors  wore  masks 
of  wood,  or  were  disguised  in  skins  as  animals.  They 
imitated  animals,  beetles,  frogs,  lizards,  birds  and  but- 
terflies, or  ''took  off"  sick,  lame,  deaf  and  blind  people, 
or  other  peculiar  characters.  This  was  thought  to  be 
very  funny.  Meanwhile  the  priests  blew  mud-balls  at 
the  actors  through  wooden  tubes,  or  criticized  or  praised 
the  performance  audibly.  Afterwards,  audience  and 
actors  all  joined  in  a  dance. 

In  still  another  part  of  the  Plaza,  some  Aztec  acro- 
bats were  giving  a  performance  which  was  much  en- 
joyed by  our  two  boys.  A  man  lying  on  his  back  on 
the  ground  spun  on  the  soles  of  his  feet  a  heavy  pole, 
holding  two  men,  one  at  each  end.     A  human  column, 

29 


MEXICO 

consisting  of  a  man  mounted  on  the  shoulders  of  an- 
other, with  a  third  standing  on  his  head,  walked  around 
the  circle  of  spectators.  Other  tricks  were  performed 
which  could  compare  favorably  with  our  modern  cir- 
cuses. 

But  the  most  exciting  sport  of  all  was  the  "Bird 
Dance."  In  the  center  of  the  plaza  stood  a  tall  pole, 
around  which,  a  short  distance  from  the  top,  was  built 
a  revolving  wooden  platform.  Four  long  ropes  passed 
from  the  top  of  the  pole,  through  holes  in  the  outside 
of  the  platform,  and  hung  several  feet  below.  Four 
acrobats,  dressed  to  imitate  birds,  climbed  up  the  pole 
by  means  of  little  loops  of  cord,  stood  on  the  frame  and 
wound  the  ropes  around  their  waists.  Then  they 
swung  off  into  space,  their  weight  setting  the  platform 
in  motion,  and  the  cords,  as  they  untwisted,  letting 
them  sail  out  ever  wider  and  wider,  until  they  really 
seemed  like  swallows  flying  in  ch'cles.  Meanwhile 
other  performers  danced,  beat  drums  and  waved  flags  on 
the  wooden  cap  at  the  top  of  the  pole,  and,  descending 
the  ropes,  took  the  places  of  the  flyers  who  alighted. 

At  another  playground  the  national  game  of  the  Az- 
tecs, tlachtli,  a  kind  of  football,  was  being  played  by 
teams  of  professionals,  with  a  priest  as  umpire.  They 
played  in  an  alley,  one  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty 
wide;  the  ball  was  of  solid  rubber,  and  the  object 
of  the  game  was  to  knock  it  over  the  wall  at  the  op- 
posite end,  or,  by  great  good  luck  and  skill,  into  a  hole 

30 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

just  large  enough  for  it,  made  in  a  large  stone  carved 
with  images  of  idols  in  the  center  of  each  of  the  side 
walls.  The  players  could  strike  the  ball  only  in  a  cer- 
tain way  agreed  upon  beforehand,  either  with  the  knee, 
elbow  or  shoulder.  Whoever  drove  the  ball  through 
one  of  the  holes,  not  only  won  the  game  for  his  side, 
but  also  the  cloaks  of  all  the  spectators,  who  usually 
dispersed  very  hastily  when  this  particular  play  was 
successful,  to  avoid  paying! 

By  the  time  the  boys  had  enjoyed  all  these  perform- 
ances the  day  was  over,  and  they  went  home  tired  but 
happy.  The  next  day  they  were  to  see  a  most  inter- 
esting event,  the  admittance  of  one  of  Maxtla's  friends, 
a  lad  a  few  "years  older  than  he,  into  the  order  of  Mex- 
ican nobles  called  Tecuhtli. 

It  was  no  easy  thing  to  become  a  Tecuhtli,  or  Knight, 
Axa  learned.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  necessary  to 
have  rich  parents,  who  would  spend  years  in  collect- 
ing fine  garments,  jewels  and  golden  ornaments  for 
presents  to  the  giiests  at  the  required  feast.  The  can- 
didate himself  went  into  training  for  three  years.  He 
performed  feats  of  strength  and  endurance,  and  learned 
not  only  to  be  brave,  but  patient,  with  perfect  control 
of  his  will  and  temper. 

Maxtla  described  to  Axa  the  feast  of  the  initiation, 
which  had  taken  place  a  year  before.  The  relatives 
and  friends  of  the  candidate  went  to  the  temple  of  the 
war-god,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  spectators.     The  can- 

31 


MEXICO 

didate,  arriving  at  the  temple,  climbed  to  the  summit, 
and  knelt  before  the  god's  altar.  The  high-priest 
pierced  the  cartilage  of  his  nose  in  two  places  with  a 
tiger's  bone  or  eagle's  claw,  to  signify  that  he  must  be 
as  swift  to  overtake  the  enemy  as  an  eagle,  and  as  fierce 
in  battle  as  a  tiger,  and  inserted  pieces  of  jet  or  obsidian 
in  the  punctures  to  remain  during  the  coming  year  of 
probation,  at  the  end  of  which  they  were  replaced  with 
gold  or  precious  stones. 

Then  followed  a  strange  performance.  The  high- 
priest  began  to  insult  the  candidate  in  a  loud  voice.  He 
called  him  a  coward,  a  good-for-nothing,  a  contemptible 
creature!  The  assistant  priests  crowded  around,  echo- 
ing the  insults.  They  pointed  at  the  candidate,  jostled 
him,  jeered  at  him. 

Maxtla  saw  his  friend's  eyes  flash.  He  clenched  his 
hands,  and  opened  his  mouth  as  if  he  were  about  to 
fling  back  the  taunts  in  their  faces,  to  fight  them  all 
and  show  them  how  much  of  a  coward  he  was !  But 
the  slight  movement  passed,  and  he  remained  as  mo- 
tionless as  a  bronze  statue.  In  vain  the  priests  re- 
doubled their  efforts,  and  finally,  in  a  paroxysm  of  ap- 
parent rage  and  scorn,  tore  the  garments  from  him  one 
by  one,  until  nothing  but  the  maxtli,  loin-cloth,  re- 
mained on  the  candidate's  bruised  body.  They  could 
not  make  him  speak  or  lift  a  finger  in  his  own  de- 
fense. Reluctantly  they  drew  away  and  acknowledged 
that  he  had  met  their  test  successfully. 

32 


MANNEKS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

If  the  candidate  had  retaliated  in  any  way,  he  would 
have  gone  down  from  the  temple  rejected  and  dis- 
graced, because  he  had  been  able  to  keep  his  temper 
no  better  than  a  woman!  All  the  long  months  of 
preparation  and  the  money  spent  by  his  parents  for  the 
feast  would  have  been  wasted.  He  would  never  have 
been  made  a  Knight,  and  might  even  have  been  pun- 
ished for  sacrilege. 

But  everything  had  gone  well  with  Maxtla's  friend, 
and  he  was  taken  to  a  hall  in  the  temple,  to  spend  four 
days  in  penance,  fasting  and  praying.  He  could  eat 
only  once  in  twenty-four  hours,  at  midnight,  and  then 
only  four  small  dumplings  of  corn  meal,  about  the  size 
of  a  walnut,  and  a  little  water.  If  he  wished  to  ac- 
quire extra  distinction,  he  would  not  touch  even  that. 
During  this  time  he  was  clothed  in  the  coarsest  gar- 
ments, and  had  to  prick  himself  with  thorns  of  the 
maguey  in  order  to  draw  blood  for  purposes  of  wor- 
ship. Worse  still,  he  could  only  sleep  for  a  few  min- 
utes, or  three  veteran  warriors,  who  were  keeping  guard 
over  him,  would  prick  him  with  thorns  and  cry, 

"Awake,  awake !  Learn  to  be  vigilant  and  watchful ; 
keep  your  eyes  open,  that  you  may  look  to  the  inter- 
ests of  your  vassals." 

At  the  end  of  the  four  days,  the  candidate  went  to 
some  temple  near  his  own  home,  to  complete  his  year 
of  probation. 

Axa  listened  to  this  account  with  misgivings.     He 

33 


MEXICO 

resolved  to  watch  over  his  own  temper  more  carefully 
henceforward.  He  knew  of  occasions  when  his  con- 
duct would  have  kept  him  from  ever  becoming  a 
Knight ! 

The  young  man's  probation  year  was  now  over,  and 
Maxtla  and  his  family  and  Axa  were  going  to  the  final 
feast.  Arriving  early  at  the  spot,  they  saw  the  candi- 
date being  borne  to  the  temple  on  a  litter,  with  music 
and  dancing.  Again  he  ascended  the  steps  of  the  tem- 
ple and  bowed  before  the  hideous  idol.  The  priests 
then  removed  his  coarse  clothes,  and  put  on  others  of 
rich  material,  with  a  tunic  embroidered  with  the  badge 
of  his  new  order.  They  bound  his  hair  in  a  tight  knot 
with  a  red  cord,  in  the  ends  of  which  were  tied  bright- 
colored  feathers.  Arrows  were  placed  in  his  right  hand, 
in  his  left  a  bow.  The  high  priest  gave  him  a  short 
address,  enumerating  his  duties,  and  giving  him  a  name, 
which  he  was  to  add  to  his  own  to  show  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Order.  He  finished  by  commanding 
him  to  be  liberal  and  just,  and  to  love  his  country  and 
his  gods.  The  ceremony  was  over,  and  the  proud  young 
man  went  down  to  his  friends,  a  full-fledged  Knight. 
Henceforward  he  would  be  treated  with  especial  honor ; 
his  opinion  would  be  of  great  weight,  both  in  war  and 
peace. 

A  tremendous  feast  now  followed.  Axa  and  Maxtla, 
in  common  with  the  other  guests,  received  so  many  pres- 
ents, that  it  took  two  slaves  apiece  to  carry  them  home ! 

34 


MANNEKS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

From  the  accounts  of  all  these  festivities,  it  may  be 
thought  that  Mexican  children  did  nothing  but  have  a 
good  time;  but  this  was  not  the  case.  Both  Axa  and 
Maxtla  had  received  a  thorough  education  and  train- 
ing, as  had  all  the  other  young  people  of  their  acquaint- 
ance. One  of  the  few  Mexican  picture-writings  now 
existing  illustrates  the  upbringing  of  young  Mexicans. 
As  most  of  us  are  not  as  clever  as  the  Aztecs  in  deci- 
phering picture-writing,  however,  it  needs  a  little  ex- 
planation. The  first  group  is  a  warning  to  bad  chil- 
dren. At  the  left  the  father  is  punishing  his  son  by 
holding  him  over  the  fumes  of  burning  chile,  which 
were  very  disagreeable ;  at  the  right  the  mother  is  threat- 
ening her  daughter  with  the  same  punishment.  Prob- 
ably she  was  not  as  bad  as  the  boy,  so  only  needed  a 
warning ! 

The  same  unpleasant  subject  of  punishment  is  dealt 
with  in  the  lower  left-hand  picture,  where  the  boy  is 
compelled  to  lie  down  naked  on  the  wet  ground,  with 
his  hands  tied.  At  the  right,  the  girl  is  being  taught 
to  sweep;  or  perhaps  she  has  to  sweep,  for  a  punish- 
ment. In  the  third  picture,  the  boys  are  having  a  little 
better  time,  especially  the  one  in  the  canoe,  who  is 
bringing  home  bundles  of  wood  or  reeds;  the  other  boy 
is  carrying  the  same  on  his  back.  The  girl  at  the  right 
is  being  taught  how  to  make  tortillas.  Notice  the  hol- 
lowed stone  (metate),  the  pestle  for  grinding  the  corn, 
and  the  jar  for  water.     These  are  common  objects  in 

35 


MEXICO 


OOOOO 

ooooo  ^ 


»o  oo 

ooooo 
ooooo 


Mexican  Picture-Writings 
3G 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

the  homes  of  Mexican  Indians.  All  through  these 
sketches  the  round  objects  represent  the  number  of  tor- 
tillas the  child  shall  have  at  each  meal,  while  the  small 
circles  show  the  age  of  the  children.  The  balloons  com- 
ing out  of  the  figures  of  course  show  that  they  are 
speaking. 

The  lower  group  shows  the  boy  learning  how  to  fish. 
He  looks  as  if  he  would  enjoy  it  a  great  deal  more  if 
his  father  left  him  alone!  The  girl  is  learning  to 
weave. 

So  we  know  that  all  was  not  play  in  the  Aztec  house- 
hold. The  education  that  was  begun  by  the  parents  was 
finished  by  the  priests,  who  would  seem  on  account  of 
the  dreadful  religious  rites  that  they  practiced  not  to 
have  been  good  instructors,  but  who  really  were  excellent 
in  some  things,  for  they  taught  the  young  people  to 
be  modest  and  brave,  truthful,  honest  and  respectful 
to  their  elders.  The  boys  were  put  in  charge  of  the 
priests  or  began  training  for  the  army  under  an  officer 
when  they  were  about  fifteen. 

The  schools  for  the  common  people  were  called 
telpochcalli,  or  ^'Houses  of  the  Youths,"  and  there  was 
one  at  least  in  each  quarter  of  the  city,  like  our  public 
schools.  Here  the  priests  taught  them  how  to  sweep 
out  the  sanctuary,  keep  the  fire  burning  in  the  sacred 
censers,  clean  the  school-house,  gather  wood,  and  other 
useful  things.  They  were  also  trained  in  arms,  and 
how  to  sing  and  dance. 

37 

65()5G 


MEXICO 

Youths  of  noble  descent  and  those  who  intendoft  to 
become  priests  went  to  a  college  or  monastery,  Vwhere 
they  studied  history,  religion,  philosophy,  law,  astron- 
omy, how  to  wi-ite  and  decipher  the  picture-writing, 
songs  about  heroes,  and  hymns. 

Some  of  the  girls  who  desired  to  be  priestesses  with- 
drew from  the  world  when  they  were  twelve  or  thir- 
teen, and  went  to  live  in  the  inside  courts  of  the  great 
temple.  They  had  their  hair  cut  in  a  peculiar  way, 
but  after  one  cutting  they  let  it  grow  again;  they  wore 
plain  white  garments,  without  the  usual  Aztec  decora- 
tions, and  always  slept  in  their  clothes,  to  be  ready  for 
work  in  the  morning.  They  worked  hard,  ate  little, 
no  meat  except  on  feast  days,  and  were  constantly 
watched  by  the  Lady-superior.  They  danced  at  the  re- 
ligious dances  of  the  festivals,  their  feet  and  hands 
adorned  with  feathers,  and  their  cheeks  painted  red 
with  blood  which  they  drew  from  their  ears.  Death 
was  the  punishment  for  slight  offenses! 

To  go  back  to  Axa.  In  a  few  days  his  delightful 
visit  was  at  an  end,  his  parents  having  sent  the  serv- 
ants to  fetch  him  in  the  canoe  to  their  home  a  few  miles 
out  of  town.  On  the  way  home  Axa  passed  the  famous 
floating  gardens,  which  were  formed  of  two  or  three 
feet  of  black  mud  from  the  lake  placed  on  rafts  of  light 
wood,  covered  with  rushes,  reeds  or  sticks.  In  these 
gardens  all  kinds  of  crops  were  raised;  and  the  beauty 
of  them  was,  that  they  were  self-irrigating  and  could  be 

38 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

"moved  anywhere  the  owner  desired,  with  the  aid  of 
long  poles.  They  had  come  into  being  at  the  time  the 
Aztecs  lived  on  the  lake  islands,  and  they  are  still 
pointed  out  near  Mexico  City,  only  now,  owing  to  the 
receding  of  the  waters,  they  have  grown  fast  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  lake. 

Axa's  home  was  in  a  village  or  ward.  All  the  land 
in  this  ward  was  the  common  property  of  the  villagers, 
but  each  family  held  a  portion  as  long  as  they  cultivated 
it.  Axa  already  understood  the  simple  methods  of 
farming  used  by  the  iVztecs.  They  irrigated  their  lands 
by  means  of  ditches.  As  they  had  no  domestic  ani- 
mals, such  as  oxen,  mules  or  horses,  the  plowing  was 
done  by  hand  with  a  copper  implement  made  for  the 
purpose.  The  Aztec  method  of  sowing  was  to  take  a 
sharp  stick,  the  point  of  which  had  been  hardened  by 
holding  it  in  the  fire,  make  holes  in  the  ground  in 
straight  rows,  and  drop  a  few  kernels  of  corn  into  each. 
Indian  corn  was  the  principal  crop,  but  they  also  raised 
the  useful  maguey,  and  grew  fruit  trees. 

Sometimes  the  men  of  a  village  or  ward  went  hunt- 
ing with  bows  and  arrows,  the  game  being  deer,  rab- 
bits, wolves,  foxes,  jaguars,  Mexican  lions,  coyotes, 
pigeons,  partridge,  quail  and  water  fowl.  They  killed 
the  small  birds  by  blowing  pellets  or  darts  through  a 
tube.  In  the  southern  provinces,  young  monkeys  were 
caught  by  spreading  corn  as  bait  near  a  concealed  fire, 
in  which  a  kind  of  black  stick  was  placed  which  ex- 

39 


MEXICO 

ploded  when  hot.  When  this  happened,  the  parent 
monkey  was  frightened  and  ran  away,  leaving  the  young 
ones  to  be  caught.  Crocodile  hunting  was  good  sport, 
the  animals  being  captured  by  a  sort  of  lasso  or  a 
sharp,  barbed  stick  thrust  in  their  mouths.  Fishing 
was  a  constant  occupation  of  the  Aztecs. 
/One  of  the  great  events  of  Axa's  childhood  was  the 
solemn  ceremony  of  the  end  of  the  cycle.  This«time, 
which  occurred  only  every  fifty-two  years,  and  which 
happened  to  come  when  he  was  a  very  young  boy,  he 
remembered  distinctly.  His  parents  and  friends  had 
all  been  greatly  depressed.  They  feared  that  some 
great  calamity  was  going  to  happen.  When  the  .five 
unlucky  days  at  the  end  of  the  year  arrived,  they  gave 
themselves  up  to  despair,  broke  in  pieces  the  images 
of  their  little  household  gods,  allowed  the  fires  in  their 
houses  and  even  in  the  temples  to  go  out,  and  destroyed 
everything  they  possessed,  including  all  their  garments 
except  those  they  were  wearing. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day  Axa  remembered 
forming  part  of  a  weird  procession.  Clinging  to  his 
mother's  hand,  he,  v;ith  many  others,  wended  their  way 
towards  a  hill  near  the  City  of  Tenochtitlau,  which  was 
dark  and  quiet,  though  crowded  with  people.  Every 
one  was  looking  anxiously  at  the  sky,  blazing  with  the 
great,  bright,  tropic  stars,  to  see  when  the  constella- 
tion of  the  Pleiades  would  reach  its  highest  point,  for 
then  it  would  be  midnight.     The  hour  came.     Sud- 

40 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  AZTECS 

denly  the  darkness  of  the  hill-top  was  pierced  by  a 
feeble,  flickering  light,  which  showed  for  an  instant 
the  figure  of  a  priest,  who  was  rubbing  two  sticks  to- 
gether to  produce  it.  Other  priests  were  hovering  over 
a  stone  of  sacrifice.  The  multitude  held  their  breaths. 
The  spark  of  light  grew  brighter  and  bigger.  Elames 
leaped  into  the  air.  Then  a  great  sigh  of  relief  went 
up  from  the  waiting  throng,  who  pressed  forward  to 
the  sacred  fire  to  light  their  torches  by  which,  in  turn, 
they  would  rekindle  the  cold  hearth  at  home.  The  ris- 
ing of  the  sun  still  further  reassured  them.  Another 
cycle  had  begun !  Eagerly  they  returned  to  their 
homes,  to  begin  a  great  orgy  of  house-cleaning,  putting 
on  of  new  garments,  feasting,  dancing,  singing  and  re- 
ligious services  at  the  temples. 

The  last  celebration  of  this  festival,  the  one  in  which 
Axa  took  part,  occurred  in  the  year  1506.  The  omena 
were  not  quite  correct,  for  before  a  half  of  the  cycle  had 
passed,  great  reverses  came  upon  the  Mexicans,  and 
their  beautiful  city  fell  into  the  hands  of  strangers. 
We  will  leave  Axa  here,  hoping  that  he  escaped  the 
worst  sufferings  of  the  Conquest,  and  that  he  lived  to 
be  happy  under  the  Spanish  regime. 


CHAPTER  IV 
EARLY  SPANISH  EXPLORATIONS 

"Down  from  Cuba  Island,  in  this  sea  of  the  west,  my 
heart  tells  me  there  must  be  rich  lands ;  because  when 
J  sailed  as  a  boy  with  the  old  admiral,  I  remember 
he  inclined  that  way." 

It  was  Antonio  de  Alaminos  who  spoke  thus  to  eager 
Spaniards,  in  the  streets  and  houses  of  the  Cuban  set- 
tlements. Cuba  was  a  disappointment  to  the  Span- 
iards; it  was  lacking  in  gold  and  pearls;  and  their 
thoughts  turned  longingly  to  the  unl^cnown  west,  with  its 
possible  riches.  Vasco  Nuiiez  de  Balboa  had  discov- 
ered the  Pacific  and  the  lands  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Darien,  but  what  lay  north  was  undiscovered.  Antonio 
de  Alaminos,  who  had  sailed  with  the  "old  admiral," 
Columbus,  and  had  ideas  of  his  own  on  exploration, 
found  ready  listeners. 

A  company  of  one  hundred  and  ten  gentlemen,  sol- 
diers and  other  adventurers  who  had  come  from  Spain 
and  were  disappointed  in  the  riches  the  West  Indies 
had  yielded  them,  gathered  in  Cuba  and  determined  to 
set  out  on  an  exploring  expedition  towards  the  West. 

42 


EAELY  SPANISH  EXPLORATIONS 

They  chose  Hernandez  de  Cordoba  as  their  captain, 
and  the  hopeful  Alaminos  their  pilot.  Among  the  voy- 
agers was  a  brave,  simple  soldier,  Bernal  Diaz  del  Cas- 
tillo, who  has  left  us  an  account  of  the  Conquest. 

There  were  three  ships  in  Cordoba's  expedition,  and 
they  left  Cuba  on  the  eighth  of  February,  1517,  pro- 
vided with  cassava  bread,  pigs,  glass  beads  and  trinkets 
for  barter,  and,  in  order  that  their  squadron  might 
"not  want  for  anything  really  useful,"  as  the  old  chron- 
icle explains,  a  priest.  Glory  as  well  as  gold  beck- 
oned the  adventurers  westward.  They  longed  to  dis- 
cover new  countries  for  Spain,  and  to  win  the  heathen 
of  these  countries  to  the  Christian  religion.  They  were 
a  daring  and  gallant  lot,  and,  though  gold-hungry,  not 
unprincipled.  Diego  Velasquez,  the  Governor  of  Cuba, 
ordered  them  to  bring  back  slaves  from  some  islands 
between  Cuba  and  Honduras,  but  they  declared  with 
spirit  that  "neither  God  nor  the  King  had  commanded 
them  to  turn  a  free  people  into  slaves !" 

They  sailed  west,  and  presently  sighted  land — a 
small  island  off  the  point  of  Yucutan.  They  gave  it 
the  name  of  Las  Mugeres  (Woman's  Island)  because 
they  found  some  images  of  female  deities  in  a  tem- 
ple. Beyond,  on  the  main  land,  they  saw  the  towers 
and  houses  of  a  good-sized  town,  which  they  named 
Grand  Cairo.  The  houses  were  built  of  stone  and  lime, 
and  when  the  Spaniards  landed  they  found  golden 
ornaments  in  the  temples. 

43 


MEXICO 

Indiaus  met  them,  repeating  the  words  "con  esco 
toch,"  an  invitation  to  come  with  them,  but  the  Span- 
iards thought  it  the  name  of  the  country,  so  gave  the 
promontory  they  were  on  the  name  of  Point  de  Cotoche, 
which  it  bears  to-day.  The  Indians  proving  un- 
friendly, the  Spaniards  captured  two  and  took  to  their 
ships  and  again  sailed  westward. 

Their  next  landing-place  was  the  Bay  of  Cam- 
peachy,  where  some  natives  inquired  by  signs  if  they 
came  from  the  east,  and  repeated  the  word  "Castilan," 
the  name  of  a  Spanish  province.  Here  were  temples 
with  fresh  blood  stains  about  the  altars,  and  native 
priests,  in  long,  flowing  robes,  with  long  hair  matted 
together  with  blood,  who  came  out  to  meet  the  Spaniards 
burning  incense,  as  if  for  gods.  But  when  the  Span- 
iards waved  away  the  pans  of  incense,  the  Indians 
took  offense  and  began  beating  their  drums  and  blow- 
ing on  their  pipes  and  twisted  shells  a  sort  of  war- 
music,  and  the  Spaniards,  still  sore  from  their  wounds 
in  the  recent  skirmish,  hurriedly  made  for  their  ships. 

They  sailed  on  again,  excited  beyond  measure  by  the 
mysteries  of  this  laud,  with  its  houses  and  temples  of 
cut  stone,  its  gold,  and  its  blood-stained  altars.  But 
their  fresh  water  began  to  fail,  and  when  they  landed 
to  get  more  the  Indians  attacked  them,  carried  off  two 
and  wounded  many.  The  Spaniards  hurriedly  gained 
their  ships  and  set  sail  for  Cuba.  On  the  way  the  sail- 
ors suffered  so  from  thirst  that  they  held  the  cold  steel 

44 


EARLY  SPANISH  EXPLORATIONS 

edges  of  their  axes  between  their  swollen  lips  to  cool 
them.  They  got  water  at  Florida  and  reached  Havana 
safely.  Ten  days  later  Cordoba,  the  captain,  died  from 
his  wounds. 

"Oh,  what  a  fearful  undertaking  it  is  to  venture  out 
on  the  discovery  of  new  countries,  and  place  one's  life 
in  danger,  as  we  were  obliged  to  do,"  exclaims  Bernal 
Diaz.  I  imagine  that  we  would  agree  with  him,  if 
we  could  transport  ourselves  back  through  the  cen- 
turies to  those  old  sailing-ships,  with  their  cramped 
quarters  and  rough,  scanty  food,  their  motley  com- 
panies of  desperadoes  and  adventurers. 

"In  this  beautiful  voyage  of  discovery,"  he  goes  on 
to  say,  sarcastically,  "we  had  spent  our  all,  and  re- 
turned to  Cuba  covered  with  wounds,  and  as  poor  as 
beggars."  Yet  the  lure  held,  and  the  next  year  he  was 
ready  to  try  his  luck  again. 

The  returned  voyagers  created  a  great  sensation  in 
Cuba.  The  covetous  soul  of  the  Governor,  Velasquez, 
was  delighted  with  the  "crowns,  golden  ducks,  fish  and 
idols"  from  the  heathen  temples.  He  questioned  the 
two  (Indian  captives,  who  gave  him  to  understand  that 
there  was  much  gold-dust  in  their  country.  "They  told 
an  untruth,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "there  are  no  gold  mines 
on  the  Punta  de  Cotoche  nor  even  in  all  of  Yucatan." 
However,  the  Spaniards  were  eager  to  believe.  Dur- 
ing the  conversation  between  the  Governor  and  the  na- 
tives, the  natives,  being  shown  a  yucca  root,  exclaimed 

45 


MEXICO 

tale.  The  Spaniards,  hearing  the  two  words,  said, 
"You  see,  they  call  their  country  Yucatan."  In  this 
way  the  country  received  its  name. 

All  the  conversation  of  Cuba  turned  now  on  the  new 
country  of  Yucatan,  and  the  fame  of  the  expedition 
spread  even  to  Spain,  where  people  indulged  in  many 
theories  as  to  who  were  these  strange  people  who  built 
stone  houses  and  worshiped  hideous  idols.  Some 
learned  ones  declared  that  they  must  be  the  Jews  who, 
driven  out  of  Jerusalem  under  the  Emperor  Vespasian, 
might  have  sailed  west,  been  shipwrecked  and  finally 
landed  on  this  foreign  coast. 

Velasquez  determined  to  send  out  another  expedi- 
tion. Cordoba  being  dead,  Juan  de  Grijalva,  a  chiv- 
alrous young  Spaniard,  a  nephew  of  the  Governor's, 
was  chosen  for  the  leader.  In  charge  of  one  of  the 
vessels  was  Pedro  de  Alvarado,  a  handsome,  golden- 
haired  Spaniard.  There  were  three  other  ships,  under 
various  captains.  Bernal  Diaz  was  of  the  company. 
It  was  like  our  gold  rush  to  California  in  1849 — there 
was  no  trouble  in  getting  recruits.  Two  hundred  and 
twenty  men  were  easily  selected.  They  sailed  on  May 
1,  1518. 

They  steered  a  little  farther  south  than  before,  and 
touched  land  first  at  the  island  of  Cozumel,  and  then 
at  the  coast  of  Champoton.  After  a  skirmish  in  which 
they  beat  off  the  natives  who  attacked  them,  they  sailed 
along  the  coast,  reaching  in  June  the  large  river  Ta- 

46 


EARLY  SPANISH  EXPLORATIONS 

basco.  Here  were  many  natives.  The  Spaniards  sent 
their  two  Yucatan  captives  to  treat  with  them,  and, 
finding  them  friendly,  they  all  landed,  and  began  a 
merry  trade  of  blue  glass  beads,  small  mirrors  and  imi- 
tation corals  in  exchange  for  broiled  fish,  fowls,  fruit, 
maize-bread  and  small  golden  ornaments  furnished  by 
the  natives.  The  Indians  said  they  had  little  gold,  but 
that  further  on  towards  the  setting  of  the  sun  there  was 
a  country  where  it  was  found  in  great  abundance.  The 
name  of  the  country  was  Culhua  or  Mexico.  These 
magic  syllables  as  yet  meant  nothing  to  the  Spaniards. 

The  Spaniards  set  sail  again,  and  now  they  saw  for 
the  first  time  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas 
in  Mexico.  Stationed  at  the  mouth  of  a  large  river 
were  men  with  banners,  messengers  from  Montezuma, 
who  had  heard  at  once  of  the  second  arrival  of  the  Fair 
God's  descendants  on  the  southern  shore.  The  Span- 
iards landed,  and  were  propitiated  with  gold,  accord- 
ing to  Montezuma's  orders.  Poor  Montezuma !  He 
did  not  know  that  each  piece  of  gold  that  he  sent  these 
greedy  "gods"  was  a  nail  in  his  own  coffin !  The  Span- 
iards calmly  took  possession  of  the  country  here  in 
the  name  of  "His  Imperial  Majesty,  the  Emperor 
Charles  V." 

As  soon  as  the  gold  supply  gave  out,  they  went  away 
from  there,  landing  some  time  later  on  an  island  out- 
side what  is  now  the  harbor  of  Vera  Cruz,  which  they 
called  San  Juan  de  Ulua.     One  of  the  ships  now  sailed 

47 


MEXICO 

straight  for  Cuba,  while  the  others  took  a  more  round- 
about way.  They  all  reached  Cuba  finally,  but  Gri- 
jalva  found  himself  in  disgrace  with  his  uncle  the  Gov- 
ernor, who  had  been  prejudiced  against  him  by  one 
of  the  first  captains  to  reach  home. 

Velasquez  was  already  looking  about  for  some  one  to 
command  another  expedition  to  the  new  country.  Be- 
ing displeased  with  his  nephew,  his  choice  fell  upon  a 
magistrate  of  Santiago,  a  high-spirited  gallant  who  had 
got  in  numerous  scrapes  in  Cuba,  but  had  also  man- 
aged to  distinguish  himself  and  gain  lands  and  gold. 
The  name  of  this  man  was  Feknando  Cortes. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  BOY  WHO  WAS  BORN  TO  ADVENTURE- 
FERNANDO  CORTES 

Theke  are  boys  who  are  born  to  adventure  as  the 
sparks  fly  upward !  Such  a  one  was  the  boy  Fernando 
Cortes,  born  in  the  village  of  Medellin,  in  the  Spanish 
province  of  Estremadura,  in  1485.  He  was  seven 
years  old,  a  sickly  youngster,  when  Columbus  was  dis- 
covering America.  'No  one  would  have  prophesied  that 
he  would  live  to  undergo  the  most  extraordinary  hard- 
ships in  the  New  World.  His  parents  were  quite  in 
despair  about  him,  in  fact,  thinking  he  would  never 
live  to  grow  up.  They  drew  lots  as  to  which  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  should  be  his  patron  saint;  and  when 
St.  Peter  was  chosen  in  this  way,  both  they  and  the 
boy  were  quite  convinced  that  he  helped  him  to  grow 
strong  and  well. 

Even  St.  Peter,  however,  could  not  make  him  meek 
and  obedient.  When  Fernando  was  fourteen,  his  par- 
ents sent  him  to  the  University  of  Salamanca,  the  finest 
in  all  Europe,  to  study  law.  The  boy  stayed  there  for 
two  years,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  he  turned  up 

49 


MEXICO 

at  home  again.  He  had  had  enough  of  college.  Noth- 
ing that  his  parents  could  say  or  do  would  make  him 
consent  to  be  a  lawyer.  His  tastes  were  all  for  action 
and  adventure.  Being  now  idle,  and  full  of  superflu- 
ous energy,  he  fell  into  one  scrape  after  another,  so 
that  his  family  was  finally  glad  to  allow  him  to  enlist 
in  a  great  expedition  which  was  sailing  for  the  West 
Indies  under  Ovando.  The  night  before  he  sailed, 
Cortes  got  into  trouble  again.  He  was  skylarking 
about  town  when  he  fell  from  a  wall  and  hurt  his  knee, 
and  was  nearly  run  through  the  body  into  the  bargain 
by  an  irate  gentleman  on  whose  premises  he  was  tres- 
passing. If  it  had  not  been  for  an  old  woman  who 
rushed  out  of  her  house  at  hearing  the  disturbance  and 
interceded  for  him,  he  might  never  have  lived  to  see 
Mexico.  He  was  badly  bruised  enough  as  it  was  to 
prevent  him  from  sailing  with  the  West  Indies  expe- 
dition. 

His  next  thought  was  to  go  to  Naples  to  serve  under 
the  famous  Captain,  Gonzalvo  de  Cordoba.  He  started, 
but  only  got  part  way;  his  money  gave  out,  and  after 
a  year  of  hardship  he  turned  up  like  a  bad  penny  in 
Medcllin. 

His  parents  were  desperate  by  now,  and  glad  to  give 
him  money  to  carry  out  his  first  intention  of  going  to 
the  West  Indies.  He  sailed  in  1504,  in  a  little  trading- 
vessel,  his  ship  reaching  the  port  of  Santo  Domingo 
safely  four  days  after  Easter. 

50 


FERNANDO  CORTES 

Young  Cortes  went  at  once  to  the  Governor's  house. 
The  Governor  was  away,  but  his  secretary  was  there 
and  proved  to  be  an  old  friend  of  his. 

"Register  yourself  a  citizen,"  said  the  latter,  "prom- 
ise not  to  leave  the  island  for  five  years,  and  you  shall 
have  lands  and  |Indians;  after  the  expiration  of  your 
time  you  may  go  where  you  choose." 

"I  want  gold,  not  work,"  replied  Cortes,  "and  neither 
in  this  island  nor  in  any  other  place  will  I  promise 
to  remain  so  long." 

The  restless  young  man  soon  found  occupation  in 
helping  to  quell  revolts  among  the  Indians  of  the  Is- 
lands, and  in  this  way  came  under  the  notice  of  the 
Governor,  Velasquez.  He  was  given  a  piece  of  land 
with  Indians  to  work  it,  this  being  the  oppressive  cus- 
tom of  those  times.  Such  lands  were  called  encomien- 
das.  Under  Velasquez,  he  helped  to  conquer  Cuba  in 
1511;  an  easy  task,  since  the  natives  were  too  poor- 
spirited  to  offer  much  resistance.  He  was  given  more 
land  and  Indians  here,  and  began  to  grow  rich,  gaining 
a  fortune  of  several  thousand  castellanos.  "God  will 
have  kept  a  better  account  than  I,  of  the  lives  it  cost," 
wrote  the  good  Bishop  Las  Casas,  called  the  "Protector 
of  the  Indians,"  whose  standard  of  humanity  in  such 
matters  was  far  ahead  of  his  age,  and  who  was  sad- 
dened by  seeing  the  natives  die  off  like  flies  under  Span- 
ish rule.  Cortes  was  not  cruel  according  to  Spanish 
ideas  of  that  time. 

51 


MEXICO 

Meanwhile,  all  was  not  smooth  sailino;  with  Cortes. 
He  had  gained  the  favor  of  the  governor  hy  his  brav- 
ery, his  good  manners  and  genial  spirit;  he  was  soon 
to  lose  it  hy  rash  conduct.  Cortes  was  certainly  a  la- 
dies' man;  indeed,  he  was  altogether  too  fond  of  flirta- 
tion. About  that  time  there  came  to  West  Indies  from 
Spain  four  beautiful  sisters,  in  the  suite  of  the  wife  of 
the  Viceroy,  Maria  de  Toledo.  Every  one  knew  they 
had  come  with  the  idea  of  getting  married.  They  went 
first  to  Santo  Domingo,  but  somehow  the  right  suitors 
did  not  turn  up  there,  so  they  tried  Cuba.  They  w^ere 
very  pretty,  but  the  prettiest  of  all  was  Donna  Catalina. 
Cortes  began  paying  her  attention.  Things  went  so 
far  that  she  promised  to  marry  him,  when  suddenly 
Cortes  grew  cold  and  wished  to  break  the  engagement. 
Jn  the  meantime  the  Governor  Velasquez  had  fallen  in 
love  with  another  sister,  wdio  persuaded  him  to  bring 
the  faithless  suitor  to  terms.  Velasquez  sent  for  Cor- 
tes and  told  him  he  must  marry  Donna  Catalina  with- 
out delay. 

Cortes  did  not  relish  being  dictated  to  in  such  a  per- 
sonal matter.  lie  declined.  The  governor  thereupon 
clapped  him  in  prison.  Cortes  escaped,  carrying  oif 
with  him  the  sword  and  buckler  of  his  jailer,  and  took 
refuge  in  a  church.  One  day,  however,  he  was  heed- 
less enough  to  step  outside  for  a  minute,  when  the  mag- 
istrate and  others  seized  him  and  carried  him  on  board 
a  ship  lying  in  the  harbor.     Cortes  escaped,   dressed 

52 


FERNANDO  CORTES 

in  servant's  clothes.  On  the  way,  the  small  boat  he  was 
in  capsized,  and  he  swam  to  shore,  with  some  valuable 
papers  tied  in  a  packet  on  the  top  of  his  head.  He 
took  refuge  in  his  partner's  house,  who  was  the  brother 
of  the  lady  who  had  caused  all  the  trouble.  The  partner 
did  not  appear  to  share  in  his  sister's  quarrel,  for  he 
gave  Cortes  clothes  and  arms,  and  the  latter  again  took 
refuge  in  the  church.  Velasquez  decided  to  forgive 
him,  and  sent  mutual  friends  to  make  peace. 

The  amusing  part  of  the  story  is,  that  now  that  he 
was  no  longer  obliged  to  marry  Donna  Catalina,  Cortes 
decided  to  do  so,  and  told  Bishop  Las  Casas  afterwards 
that  he  lived  as  happily  with  her  as  if  she  had  been  a 
duchess. 

He  may  have  lived  with  her  happily,  but  he  did  not 
do  so  long.  And  it  would  seem,  on  the  whole,  that  he 
was  far  from  a  perfect  husband.  Explorers  and  con- 
querors are,  one  imagines,  seldom  extremely  satisfac- 
tory in  domestic  life,  and  poor  Donna  Catalina,  left 
behind  when  her  husband  went  to  Mexico,  and  greeted 
but  coldly  when  she  went  to  meet  him  there,  may  have 
been  sorry  that  she  ever  held  him  to  his  promise.  But 
this  is  enough  of  the  romance  that  was  not  much  of  a 
romance  after  all. 

Other  historians  have  it  that  the  reason  Cortes  and 
the  governor  fell  out  was  because  Cortes  was  detected 
carrying  accusations  against  Velasquez  to  some  judges 
from  Spain,  who  had  recently  arrived  in  Hayti.     This 


MEXICO 

was,  of  course,  rank  treason  in  the  governor's  eyes,  and 
ho  is  said  to  have  nearly  hanged  Cortes  on  the  spot. 
Friends  interceded,  and  Cortes  was  spared,  but  hum- 
bled. 

"I  saw  Cortes  in  those  days  so  small  and  humble  that 
he  would  have  craved  the  notice  of  the  meanest  servant 
of  Velasquez,"  Bishop  Las  Casas  has  recorded. 

Velasquez  was  a  man  whose  moods  were  uncertain, 
and  whose  anger  lasted  no  longer  than  his  good-will. 
It  was  after  the  quarrel  that  he  appointed  Cortes  mag- 
istrate, and  stood  godfather  to  one  of  his  children. 
Cortes  would  now  have  been  very  well  off,  except  that 
neither  he  nor  the  pretty  Donna  Catalina  was  econom- 
ical, but  each  spent  money  as  fast  as  it  came  in. 

This  was  the  man  whom  the  governor,  in  spite  of 
previous  differences,  appointed  as  commander  of  the 
new  expedition.  Cortes  was  of  medium  height,  well- 
built,  without  an  ounce  of  superfluous  flesh,  good-look- 
ing, except  for  a  rather  sallow  complexion,  with  eyes 
that  were  ordinarily  full  of  kindness,  but  could  dart 
lightnings  of  wrath  upon  occasion.  Ilis  poise  was  per- 
fect. He  was  usually  cheerful  and  good-humored,  but 
when  ho  did  lose  his  temper,  he  lost  it  to  good  purpose, 
and  there  were  none  who  dared  offend  him  a  second 
time.  He  dressed  in  good  taste,  plainly  but  richly. 
He  ordered  his  house  well,  and  loved  to  entertain ;  espe- 
cially scholars  and  soldiers;  with  the  first  he  talked 
the  Latin  he  had  learned  at  Salamanca,  and  even  re- 

54 


FERNANDO  CORTES 

cited  poetry  to  them  of  his  own  composition;  with  his 
comrades  in  arms,  he  exchanged  stories  and  jokes.  He 
had  most  winning  manners,  and  was  popular  with  both 
men  and  women.  Above  all,  he  was  devout.  This  man, 
whose  high  spirits  got  him  into  so  many  scrapes,  knew 
many  prayers  and  psalms  by  heart,  went  to  church 
every  day,  besides  saying  morning  prayers,  and  would 
undoubtedly  have  died  in  defense  of  his  religion,  though 
he  did  not  always  live  in  accordance  with  its  laws.  It 
is  hard  for  us  nowadays  to  understand  the  religion  of 
the  Spaniards  of  the  sixteenth  century,  but  it  was  very 
real  to  them,  and  in  Cortes'  life  especially  was  a  fac- 
tor which  must  not  be  forgotten  when  we  come  to  the 
story  of  the  Conquest.  In  general,  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  the  Spaniards  were  determined  to  save  souls 
if  they  had  to  massacre  bodies  by  the  thousands  to  do 
it!  They  saw  no  incongruity  in  the  two  actions.  The 
twentieth  century,  with  its  wars  in  which  human  life 
is  sacrificed  on  a  scale  the  Spaniards  never  dreamed 
of,  is  in  no  condition  to  judge  them  too  hastily. 

This  expedition  was  the  chance  for  which  Cortes  had 
been  longing.  He  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  preparations,  and  staked  everything  he  possessed 
on  the  venture,  raising  loans  by  means  of  mortgages 
on  his  property.  He  naturally  felt  himself  a  person 
of  increased  consequence,  and  acted  accordingly,  wear- 
ing for  the  first  time  a  bunch  of  feathers  in  his  cap  and 
a  gold  necklace  and  medal,  "which  gave  him  a  ver^ 

55 


MEXICO 

stately  appearance,"  says  honest  Bernal  Diaz.  With 
part  of  his  loans  he  bought  ''a  state  robe  with  golden 
trains,  ensigns  bearing  the  arms  of  our  sovereign  the 
king,  beneath  this  a  Latin  inscription,  the  meaning  of 
which  was,  'Brothers,  let  us  in  true  faith  follow  the 
Cross,  and  the  victory  is  ours !'  " 

Human  nature  being  what  it  is,  this  behavior  in- 
creased the  disapproval  of  those  who  were  already  dis- 
pleased with  Cortes'  appointment.  The  anti-Cortes 
party  grew  more  active  and  influenced  the  governor's 
jester  to  play  upon  the  governor's  fears  by  prophecies, 
uttered  as  foolish  jests,  but  suspected  to  be  barbed  with 
meaning. 

"Well-a-day,  friend  Diego,"  said  this  licensed  char- 
acter, meeting  Velasquez  and  his  train,  with  Cortes  at 
his  right  side,  one  day  in  the  road,  'Svhat  manner  of 
a  captain-general  have  you  appointed  ?  He  of  Medellin 
and  Estremadura !  A  captain  who  wants  to  try  his 
fortune  in  no  small  way.  I  am  afraid  he  will  cut  his 
sticks  for  your  whole  squadron ;  for  he  is  a  terrible 
fellow  when  he  once  begins,  this  you  may  read  in  his 
countenance." 

''Begone,  you  drunken  fool,"  cried  a  friend  of  Cor- 
tes, as  the  jester  grew  even  more  reckless  in  his  re- 
marks. ''Some  one  has  put  you  up  to  saying  these 
things !" 

The  jester  took  no  notice  of  the  words,  even  though 
they  were  accompanied  by  a  blow  at  his  head. 

.56 


Feenando  Coetes. 


FERNANDO  CORTES 

"Long  live  my  friend  Diego  and  the  bold  captain 
Cortes!"  he  cried.  "Upon  my  life,  master  Diego,  I 
must  really  go  myself  witli  Cortes  to  those  rich  coun- 
tries, in  order  that  you  may  not  rfepent  of  the  bargain 
you  have  made!" 

Th'~  governor  turned  red  and  looked  uneasy,  but  Cor- 
tes kept  his  usual  calmness.  He  knew,  as  did  the  oth- 
ers in  the  company,  that  the  jester  had  been  coached 
by  his  enemies.  In  spite  of  their  source,  the  insinua- 
tions rankled  in  the  governor's  mind,  until  he  finally 
decided  to  remove  Cortes  from  the  commandership  and 
give  it  to  one  Vasco  Porcallo  instead. 

Cortes  heard  of  this  decision  through  his  friends, 
the  men  who  had  urged  the  governor  to  appoint  him. 
He  hurried  his  preparations,  got  his  stores  and  his  men 
on  board  his  ships,  said  good-by  to  the  governor,  who 
had  not  quite  got  to  the  point  of  carrying  out  his  in- 
tentions, and  sailed  away.  Before  doing  so,  he  had 
seized  the  entire  meat  supply  of  the  town,  paying  for 
it  with  the  gold  chain  from  his  neck. 

The  fleet  stopped  at  Macaca,  Trinidad  and  Havana. 
At  each  place  they  procured  fresh  stores,  mostly  cas- 
sava-bread and  bacon,  and  new  recruits,  some  of  them 
persons  of  distinction,  such  as  the  Alvarados,  Pedro 
and  Juan,  Alonso  de  Avila,  who  had  had  command  of 
one  of  the  ships  in  Grijalva's  expedition,  Christobal 
de  Oli,  Gonjalo  de  Sandoval,  and  Francisco  de  Mon- 
tejo. 

57 


MEXICO 

Meanwhile  the  governor,  a  man  distinctly  of  second 
thoughts,  was  becoming  more  and  more  uneasy.  His 
friends  left  him  not  a  minute's  peace.  They  told  him 
that  Cortes  was  too  fond  of  power  and  would  not  act  ac- 
cording to  the  governor's  interests.  A  half-witted  as- 
trologer prophesied  that  Cortes  would  now  revenge  him- 
self on  Velasquez  for  being  put  in  prison.  "Sly  and 
artful  as  he  is,  he  will  be  the  means  of  ruining  you, 
if  you  are  not  upon  your  guard." 

Finally  Velasquez  distractedly  sent  two  messengers 
to  Trinidad  with  private  instructions  to  the  magistrate, 
who  happened  to  be  his  brother-in-law,  to  deprive  Cor- 
tes of  the  command  and  give  it  to  Vasco  Porcallo.  He 
also  wrote  letters  to  friends  of  his  in  the  squadron,  ask- 
ing them  to  leave. 

What  was  his  disgust  to  hear  presently  that  Cortes 
had  become  so  popular  with  the  officers  and  soldiers 
that  none  would  leave  him,  and  especially  not  the  gov- 
ernor's own  friends,  that  the  magistrate  of  Trinidad 
had  not  even  attempted  to  carry  out  his  orders,  that 
the  very  messengers  he  had  sent  with  his  instructions 
were  joining  the  fleet!  The  only  notice,  in  fact,  that 
was  taken  of  Velasquez'  communications  was  a  letter 
from  Cortes,  all  the  more  maddening  to  the  governor 
because  it  was  written  in  the  most  friendly  terms,  ex- 
pressing his  "utter  astonisliinont  at  the  resolution  he 
had  taken,"   and  assuring  Velasquez  that  he,   Cortes, 

58 


FEKNANDO  COKTES 

"had  no  other  design  than  to  serve  God,  his  majesty  the 
King,  and  the  governor." 

At  Havana,  Cortes'  company  procured  sixteen  horses, 
animals  which,  figuring  in  the  imagination  of  the  na- 
tives as  gods,  were  to  play  an  important  part  in  the 
conquest.  Bernal  Diaz  describes  each  of  them  as  mi- 
nutely as  he  does  the  principal  men  of  the  company. 
The  fleet  set  sail,  in  spite  of  another  frantic  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  governor  to  stop  them,  on  February 
18,  1519.     They  steered  for  the  island  of  Cozumel. 


I  CHAPTER  VI 

CORTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD  ON  THE  MEXICAN 
COAST 

Upon  landing  at  Cozumel,  Cortes  took  pains  to  reas- 
sure the  natives  through  the  interpreter  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him,  one  of  the  two  Indians  captured  dur- 
ing the  previous  expedition.  The  dark-skinned  inhabi- 
tants soon  gathered  on  the  shore,  to  watch  Cortes  re- 
view his  troops,  whom  he  addressed  ''in  words  of  fire," 
reminding  them  of  their  great  mission  to  bring  the 
True  Faith  to  these  barbarians  and  to  conquer  their 
lands  in  the  name  of  God  and  .th^kSpanish  king. 

"Be  true  to  me,  as  I  apa  to  you,^'  he  concluded,  "and 
I  will  reward  you  with  wealth  such  as  you  have  never 
dreamed  of !"   • 

He  had  struck  the  right  note  for  those  gold-seeking 
dare-devils,  and  they  cheered  him  to  the  echo.  All 
eyes  turned  proudly  to  their  banner,  floating  in  the  soft 
breeze  from  the  Gulf.  It  was  of  taffeta  silk,  showing 
a  red  cross  on  a  black  ground,  sprinkled  with  blue  and 
white  flames;  and  on  it  was  the  motto  (as  freely  trans- 
lated), 

60 


COKTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

"Let  us  follow  the  Cross,  and  in  that  sign  we  shall  conquer." 

Cortes  had  a  special  errand  at  Cozumel.  He  had 
heard  of  the  Indians'  repeating  the  word  "Castilan"  at 
the  time  of  the  last  expedition,  and  thought  it  might 
mean  there  were  Spaniards  among  them.  Melchior,  the 
interpreter,  inquired  and  was  told  that  there  were  sev- 
eral Spaniards  some  distance  inland.  Cortes  at  once 
sent  an  expedition  to  find  them,  and  also  gave  some 
Indian  messengers  a  letter.  The  expedition  returned, 
unsuccessful ;  and  the  fleet  now  sailed  away  from  Cozu- 
mel. 

Just  after  they  had  gone,  a  man  as  dark  of  com- 
plexion as  any  native,  with  only  a  few  rags  of  cloth- 
ing, emerged  from  the  woods  upon  the  beach,  and  cried 
out  with  despair  in  Spanish  when  he  found  the  ships 
gone.  But  presently,  to  his  joy,  he  saw  them  return- 
ing. He  hurriedly  bribed  Indian  canoemen  with  some 
glass  beads  to  paddle  him  with  all  haste  towards  Cozu- 
mel. The  Spaniards,  who  had  returned  on  account  of 
a  leak  in  one  of  the  ships,  spied  the  canoe,  and  Cortes 
sent  Andreas  de  Tapia  to  learn  its  errand.  The  In- 
dians landed  on  the  island,  and  a  man,  to  all  appear- 
ance one  of  them,  rushed  towards  Tapia  as  if  to  em- 
brace him,  exclaiming,  in  broken  Spanish, 

"Are  you  Christians  ?     Who  is  your  king  ?" 

Andreas  stared  at  the  stranger.  The  latter's  face 
was  black  with  tan ;  his  hair  was  shorn  like  that  of 
an    Indian    slave;    he    carried    a    paddle    across    his 

61 


MEXICO 

shoulders,  his  clothing  was  sketchy  in  the  extreme,  con- 
sisting of  a  cloak  all  in  rags;  but  in  one  corner  of  it 
was  carefully  folded  a  prayer-book!  He  was  a 
Spaniard ! 

Brought  before  Cortes,  he  cowered  in  the  servile  In- 
dian manner  he  had  acquired  during  his  captivity,  and, 
in  answer  to  the  astonished  question,  "Where  is  the 
Spaniard  ?"  answered,  humbly,  "I  am  he." 

Cortes  was  overjoyed.  He  saw  that  the  man  would 
be  useful  to  him,  and  ordered  him  clothed  like  a  Chris- 
tian once  more. 

The  Spaniard,  whose  name  was  Geronimo  de  Aguilar, 
had  been  shipwrecked  about  eight  years  before,  while 
crossing  with  a  small  party  fronj  Darien  to  San  Do- 
mingo. They  had  been  cast  on  the  shore  of  Yucatan, 
where  the  Mayas  took  them  prisoner.  Most  of  the 
Spaniards  had  been  sacrificed  at  once  to  the  Maya 
gods,  a  few  died  of  hardship,  and  the  rest  were  put  in 
cages  to  fatten  for  the  sacrifice.  Aguilar  managed  to 
escape,  and  fled  to  a  chief,  who  protected  him.  One 
other  Spaniard  besides  himself  also  survived.  His  name 
was  Guerrero. 

When  Aguilar  received  Cortes'  letter,  together  with 
the  beads  for  ransom,  which  had  been  faithfully  de- 
livered by  the  Indian  messenger,  he  was  overcome  with 
joy,  obtained  his  freedom  at  once  from  his  chief,  and 
went  off  to  tell  Guerrero  the  good  news.  Guerrero 
heard  it  with  mixed  emotions.     He  had  married  an 

62 


CORTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

Indian  woman,  had  several  Indian  children,  and  looked 
by  this  time  exactly  like  a  native,  his  cheeks  tattooed, 
his  ears  and  lips  pierced  with  gold  and  copper  rings. 
He  was  a  very  strong  man,  and  on  this  account  had 
been  made  a  chief. 

"Go!  and  may  God  be  with  you!"  he  told  Aguilar. 
"For  myself,  I  could  not  appear  again  among  my  coun- 
trymen. My  face  has  already  been  disfigured,  and  my 
ears  pierced;  what  would  my  countrymen  say?  Only 
look  at  my  children,  what  lovely  little  creatures  they 
are;  pray  give  me  some  of  your  glass  beads  for  them, 
which  I  shall  say  my  brothers  sent  them  from  my 
country." 

Guerrero's  Indian  wife,  with  a  flash  of  black  eyes 
and  a  scowl  on  her  swarthy  countenance,  added  her 
shrill  remonstrances. 

"You  slave!  You  have  come  to  take  my  husband 
away  from  me!  Mind  your  own  affairs,  and  let  us 
alone!" 

So  Aguilar  left  this  happy  family  with  a  clear  con- 
science, and  hurried  to  the  sea-shore,  only  to  find  that 
the  fleet  had  sailed  away!  Imagine  his  despair,  and 
then  his  relief  when  the  lucky  leak  brought  them  back 
again. 

The  fleet  once  more  left  Cozumel,  and  sailed  along 
the  coast  as  Cordoba's  expedition  had  done.  At  the 
Tabasco  River  they  found  the  natives  unfriendly,  •  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  Cortes  caused  to  be  read  to  them 

G3 


MEXICO 

by  a  notary  a  long  speech  in  Spanish  (of  which  they 
naturally  understood  not  a  word),  explaining  that  they 
were  all  descended  from  Adam  and  Eve,  and  in 
charge  of  St.  Peter,  whose  representative,  the  Pope, 
had  given  the  dominion  in  America  to  the  Spanish  king ! 

In  reply,  the  natives  let  fly  their  bows  and  arrows 
and  brandished  their  clubs  and  notched  swords,  in  an 
attempt  to  keep  the  Spaniards  from  landing.  The  lat- 
ter beat  them  off,  and  landed.  Cortes  took  formal  pos- 
session of  the  country  for  his  sovereign,  drawing  his 
sword  and  making  two  deep  cuts  in  a  large  tree  which 
grew  in  the  court  of  the  principal  temple,  crying  out 
that  he  would  defend  the  possession  of  this  country 
with  sword  and  shield  against  any  one  who  should  dare 
to  dispute  it. 

The  next  morning  the  Indians  attacked  the  Spaniards 
in  great  numbers.  The  native  warriors  wore  feathers 
in  their  hair,  quilted  cotton  armor,  and  paint  on  their 
faces.  Their  weapons  were  huge  bows  and  arrows, 
shields,  lances,  and  the  swords  made  of  obsidian 
mounted  in  wood.  They  showed  great  bravery,  rush- 
ing upon  the  invaders  ''like  furious  dogs,"  and  were 
not  even  daunted  by  the  Spanish  musketry  and  cannon. 
But  their  courage  failed  them  when  Cortes  with  six- 
teen horsemen  swept  up  on  them  from  behind  a  wood. 
The  horses,  which  seemed  all  of  a  piece  with  their  rid- 
ers, appeared  to  the  poor  natives  like  strange  and  ir- 
resistible gods.     Their  flashing  eyes,  pawing  hoofs,  and 

G4 


CORTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

quick  movements  struck  terror  to  their  hearts,  and 
they  broke  ranks  and  fled. 

It  was  during  this  fight  that  the  Spaniards  are  said 
by  some  historians  to  have  seen  either  St.  James,  the 
patron  of  Spain,  or  St.  Peter,  Cortes'  patron,  mounted 
on  a  gray  horse,  fighting  for  them  on  the  battle-field. 
Bernal  Diaz,  however,  denies  this  interesting  rumor. 

"Perhaps  on  account  of  my  sins  J  was  not  consid- 
ered worthy  of  the  good  fortune  to  behold  them,"  he 
says,  "for  I  could  only  see  Francisco  de  Morla  on  his 
brown  horse  galloping  up  with  Cortes  .  .  .  and  yet 
again  I  never  heard  any  of  the  four  hundred  soldiers, 
nor  ever  Cortes  himself,  nor  any  of  the  many  cava- 
liers, mention  this  wonder,  or  confirm  its  truth." 

At  any  rate,  whether  with  supernatural  aid  or  not, 
the  battle  of  Ceutla  was  won ;  and  the  chiefs  came  for- 
ward, pledging  submission  to  Cortes  and  his  King,  and 
bringing  presents  of  food,  golden  trinkets,  and  cloth- 
ing. Cortes  received  them  graciously,  but  still  fur- 
ther to  awe  the  natives,  ordered  the  cannon  fired. 
When  the  Indians  heard  the  noise  like  a  clap  of  thun- 
der, and  saw  the  ball  whizzing  among  the  hills,  their 
subjection  was  complete.  Chiefs  from  further  inland 
came  to  pay  tribute.  Cortes,  through  Aguilar,  tried  to 
tell  them  something  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
showed  them  an  image  of  the  Virgin  Mary  with  the 
Child  in  her  arms.  The  chiefs  answered  that  they 
were  much  pleased  with  this  "woman  of  distinction," 

65 


MEXICO 

and  that  they  would  like  to  keep  her  in  their  village. 
Cortes  gave  them  the  figure  with  an  altar,  and  a  wooden 
cross,  a  familiar  symbol  to  the  Indians,  who  associated 
it  with  the  God  of  Rain. 

The  chiefs,  when  asked  where  they  got  their  gold, 
answered,  "From  the  country  towards  the  setting  of 
the  sun,"  and  repeated  the  words,  Culhua,  and  Mex- 
ico. 

Before  the  Spaniards  left,  the  chiefs  of  Tabasco 
presented  them  with  twenty  young  women  as  slaves. 
One  of  these  was  a  very  bright-looking,  pretty  girl, 
named  Marina.  Aside  from  her  looks  and  her  clever- 
ness, there  was  something  about  Marina  which  marked 
her  as  a  person  of  distinction,  even  though  she  came 
to  them  in  such  a  humble  capacity.  Indeed,  Marina 
had  a  story  not  unbefitting  a  heroine ;  for  heroine  she 
proved  to  be — the  heroine  of  the  Conquest. 

Some  years  before,  a  daughter  had  been  born  to  the 
chief  of  one  of  the  coast  provinces.  When  the  princess, 
as  we  may  call  her,  was  still  but  a  tiny  girl,  her  father 
died,  and  her  mother  married  again.  As  so  often  hap- 
pens in  fairy-stories,  the  princess  was  neglected  in  fa- 
vor of  a  little  half-brother  who  was  born  to  the  new 
couple.  And  one  night  she  was  actually  spirited  away, 
by  order  of  her  heartless  mother,  and  placed  with  a 
poor  family  in  the  province  of  Xicalango,  and  it  was 
given  out  that  she  was  dead. 

The  people  with  whom  she  had  been  placed  disposed 


CORTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

of  her  as  a  slave  to  the  Tabascans,  who  presently  gave 
her,  iio\V  full-grown  and  beautiful  and  clever  and  spir- 
ited, in  spite  of  her  misfortunes,  to  Cortes.  She  fell 
in  love  with  Cortes,  and,  becoming  a  Christian  her- 
self, worked  for  the  Christians  with  heart  and  soul. 
Cortes  soon  found  her  of  the  greatest  value  as  an  in- 
terpreter and  general  pacifier.  She  spoke  the  Tabascan 
language,  which  was  the  same  as  that  of  Yucatan,  which 
Aguilar  understood.  She  also  spoke  Mexican,  the  lan- 
guage of  her  native  province. 

The  Spaniards  now  took  ship  and  continued  their 
journey,  reaching  the  harbor  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua  on 
Thursday  of  Holy  Week,  the  twenty-first  of  April. 

The  next  day.  Good  Friday,  they  landed  and  pitched 
their  camp  on  the  low  and  sandy  coast.  The  Indians 
were  very  friendly  and  helped  them  in  every  way.  The 
insects,  of  which  there  were  all  possible  varieties,  were 
not  at  all  friendly,  but  stung  and  bit  the  invaders  until 
they  were  almost  frantic. 

0n  Easter  Sunday  some  embassadors  from  Monte- 
zuma, including  Teutlili,  the  governor  of  this  coast 
province,  arrived,  followed  by  a  great  number  of  In- 
dians. Cortes,  through  the  interpreters,  told  them  that 
he  had  come  from  the  greatest  monarch  in  the  world, 
the  Spanish  king,  with  a  message  to  their  monarch,  of 
whom  his  king  had  long  since  heard.  Where  did  the 
Mexican  king  live,  that  the  embassy  might  go  at  once 
and  pay  their  respects  to  him? 

67 


MEXICO 

Teutlili  answered  rather  sharply, 

"Since  you  are  but  just  arrived,  it  would  be  more 
fitting  that  you,  before  desiring  an  interview  with  my 
monarch,  should  accept  this  present,  which  we  have 
brought  you  in  his  name,  and  disclose  your  wishes  to 
me." 

He  then  gave  Cortes  some  very  beautiful  gold 
trinkets  and  feather-embroidered  garments. 

In  exchange  for  these  gifts  of  real  value,  Cortes  pre- 
sented him  with  an  armchair,  carved  and  painted,  a 
scarlet  cap  with  a  medal  representing  St.  George  kill- 
ing the  dragon,  some  imitation  jewels  and  glass  beads. 

During  the  interview,  the  Aztec  painters,  forerun- 
ners of  our  movie  camera-men,  were  busy  sketching  on 
maguey  paper  Cortes  and  all  the  officers,  Marina  and 
Aguilar  the  interpreters,  the  dogs,  the  fire-arms,  the 
horses — everything  of  interest.  Cortes  arranged  a 
show  for  their  benefit.  He  ordered  the  cavaliers  to 
mount  their  horses  and  gallop  two  by  two,  at  full  speed, 
on  the  firm  wet  sand;  the  cannon  was  fired,  and  the 
stone  ball  rolled  with  a  terrible  sound  among  the  sand- 
hills.    All  this  the  startled  painters  faithfully  depicted. 

The  Indian  governor  noticed  a  helmet  worn  by  one 
of  the  soldiers  and  asked  if  he  might  take  it  to  Monte- 
zuma, since  it  resembled  one  on  the  statue  of  their  war- 
god  Huitzilopochtli.  Cortes  gave  it  to  him  at  once,  but 
marred  his  generosity  somewhat  by  asking  to  have  it 

68 


CORTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

returned  full  of  gold-dust!  The  embassy  then  took 
its  leave. 

When  they  reached  Tenochtitlan  and  told  their  news, 
Montezuma's  perplexity  increased.  He  looked  at  the 
helmet,  so  like  the  one  worn  by  their  war-god,  and  was 
almost  convinced  that  the  newcomers  were  of  divine 
origin.  ,If  that  were  so,  it  was  useless  to  oppose  them ; 
but  if  they  were  men,  he  reasoned,  they  could  easily  be 
crushed  after  they  got  into  the  country.  Therefore, 
to  be  on  the  safe  side,  he  sent  word  for  every  honor  to 
be  shown  the  strangers,  and  everything  they  wished  to 
be  given  them.  At  the  same  time,  he  ordered  his  ma- 
gicians to  go  to  the  coast  and  try  to  dispel  the  invad- 
ers by  their  incantations.  The  latter  obeyed,  but, 
strange  to  say,  their  magic  was  of  no  avail.  When 
they  returned  and  told  the  king  this,  it  was  another 
proof  to  him  that  the  strangers  were  divine. 

The  allied  kings  and  nobles,  who  were  continually 
meeting  in  council,  were  as  divided  in  mind  as  their 
chief.  One  only,  Cuitlahuac,  lord  of  Itztapalapan,  was 
for  crushing  the  invaders  instantly,  before  they  could 
do  any  harm. 

''It  seems  to  me,  my  lord,  that  you  should  not  admit 
to  your  house  one  who  will  drive  you  out  of  it,"  he 
urged,  prophetically.  Montezuma  paid  attention  to  this 
wise  counsel  only  by  trying  again  to  discourage  the 
strangers  from  coming  further.  He  sent  Teutlili  back 
with  gorgeous  gifts  for  the  Spaniards:  a  round  gold 

69 


MEXICO 

plate  about  the  size  of  a  wagon-wheel,  beautifully 
worked  to  represent  the  sun,  a  "moon"  of  silver,  even 
larger  than  the  sun,  a  number  of  beautiful  small  golden 
ornaments,  lockets  and  chains,  etc.,  more  cotton  and 
featherwork,  and  lastly,  the  helmet  filled  with  gold- 
dust.  "This,"  says  the  native  historian,  Torquemada, 
"cost  him  his  life!" 

With  the  gifts  came  a  message.  Montezuma  was  de- 
lighted, he  declared,  with  the  arrival  of  such  courageous 
men  in  his  country.  He  wished  very  much  to  see  their 
great  emperor,  of  whom  he  had  already  heard.  (Artful 
Montezuma,  he  was  no  child  iu  diplomacy  himself!) 
He  sent  him  these  presents.  He  would  be  glad  to  fur- 
nish the  emperor's  representatives  with  whatever  they 
needed  during  their  stay;  but  as  for  Cortes  calling 
upon  him,  he  had  better  give  up  all  thought  of  it,  as  it 
was  not  necessary,  and  would  be  found  very  difiicult. 

You  have  heard  the  old  conundrum  about  what  would 
happen  if  an  irresistible  force  met  an  immovable  body  ? 
It  would  be  interesting  also  to  wonder  what  messages 
would  be  exchanged  if  the  irresistible  force  and  the 
immovable  body  were  both  pastmasters  in  the  art  of 
diplomacy,  and  talked  it  all  over  before  the  conflict. 
One  could  almost  tell  what  those  messages  would  be 
by  reading  those  which  passed  between  Montezuma  and 
Cortes. 

Cortes  replied  that  the  Emperor  Charles  of  Spain 
would  be  extremely  displeased  if,  after  his  ambassa- 

70 


COKTES  GAINS  A  FOOTHOLD 

dors  had  come  from  such  distant  countries  and  crossed 
such  vast  seas,  they  should  go  home  without  paying  their 
respects  to  Montezuma.  He  wished,  therefore,  to  go 
to  him  and  himself  receive  his  commands.  At  the  same 
time  Cortes  gave  the  Mexican  ambassadors,  in  return 
for  the  magnificent  gifts  he  had  received,  a  couple  of 
linen  shirts  apiece,  some  blue  glass  beads,  and  other 
trifles,  including  a  cup  of  Florentine  gilt. 

Teutlili,  much  against  his  will,  departed  with  the 
message. 

Eight  or  ten  days  after,  he  returned  again  for  the 
last  time,  bringing  more  presents,  but  also  a  curt  mes- 
sage from  Montezuma  to  send  no  more  messengers  to 
Mexico,  and  to  make  no  further  mention  of  coming  to 
see  him. 

Cortes  thanked  the  ambassadors ;  but  to  his  own  men 
he  remarked  dryly, 

"Really,  this  Montezuma  must  be  a  great  and  rich 
gentleman;  nevertheless,  if  God  be  willing,  we  shall 
one  day  visit  him  in  his  palace !" 

This  interview  took  place  at  the  time  of  the  Ave 
Maria.  The  bell  for  the  Angelus  rang  out,  and  all  the 
Spaniards  knelt  about  the  cross  which  had  been  built 
on  a  sand-hill.  The  Mexicans,  greatly  impressed, 
wished  to  know  the  meaning  of  the  service,  and  this 
gave  Father  Bartolomo  de  Olmedo  an  opportunity  to 
explain  to  them  what  he  could  of  the  Christian  faith. 
Cortes  added  that  among  the  many  reasons  he  had  for 

71 


MEXICO 

visiting  them,  the  chief  was  that  they  should  give  up 
the  worship  of  their  horrible  idols  and  abolish  human 
sacrifices.  The  Mexicans  listened  in  silence,  and  soon 
took  their  departure. 

At  onco  the  coast  Indians  who  had  been  bringing  the 
Spaniards  provisions  ceased  to  do  so,  and  they  began 
to  suffer  from  lack  of  food.  The  site  of  their  camp 
was  very  unhealthy;  before  May  was  over,  thirty  men 
fell  ill  and  died.  Many  of  the  survivors  became  dis- 
couraged. They  said  that  they  had  accomplished  all 
that  the  Governor,  Velasquez,  meant  that  they  should; 
they  had  recovered  the  Spaniard  lost  in  Yucatan,  had 
received  a  great  deal  of  gold,  and  had  preached  the 
Gospel  to  the  natives.  Why  should  they  not  return 
at  once,  before  more  of  their  number  were  dead  from 
sickness  and  starvation,  and  before  they  were  attacked 
by  the  Mexicans  ? 

Cortes  replied  mildly.  He  thought  it  inadvisable  to 
go  back,  he  said,  before  they  had  seen  more  of  the  coun- 
try ;  they  could  live  on  the  Indian  corn  in  the  fields ;  as 
for  the  thirty  men  who  had  died,  that  was  really  a  small 
number  for  a  warlike  undertaking. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  plans  were  forming  in  his  brain 
of  which  they  had  no  idea.  He  had  learned  through 
secret  messengers  sent  him  by  the  Indian  tribes  that 
many  wished  to  throw  off  Montezuma's  yoke;  and  he 
was  already  planning  to  use  these  discontented  ones  as 
allies  in  a  march  to  Montezuma's  capital. 

72 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  RICH  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

Several  of  the  officers  were  won  over  to  Cortes'  side, 
and  went  about  among  the  soldiers,  persuading  them 
to  remain.  It  was  decided  to  change  the  site  of  the 
camp  to  a  more  healthful  one  some  miles  to  the  north. 
In  doing  so,  they  left  the  dreary  sand-hills  behind,  and 
found  themselves  at  the  edge  of  the  rich,  rolling  coun- 
try, where  green  palms,  tropical  vines,  gay-plumaged 
birds  and  rare  flowers  gladdened  their  eyes.  They 
named  the  settlement  Villa  Rica  de  la  Vera  Cruz,  the 
"Rich  City  of  the  True  Cross,"  the  richness  referring 
to  the  soil,  the  "True  Cross"  to  the  circumstance  that 
they  had  landed  on  Good  Friday.  The  settlement  of 
Vera  Cniz  was  afterwards  moved  back  to  its  present 
site  on  the  coast.  The  threatened  mutiny  was  quelled 
for  the  time,  and  the  men,  of  their  own  accord,  re- 
quested Cortes  to  found  the  settlement  and  appoint  its 
officers.  This  he  did,  resigning  the  authority  he  had 
received  from  Velasquez  into  their  hands.  They  im- 
mediately elected  him  captain-general  of  the  new  col- 
ony.    By  this  ruse  Cortes  freed  himself  from  obedi- 

73 


MEXICO 

ence  to  Velasquez.  He  had  made  it  appear,  and  made 
the  men  think,  that  it  was  all  their  own  doing;  which  is 
one  of  the  signs  of  a  gi'eat  commander. 

These  formalities  over,  he  took  about  four  hundred 
men  and  set  out  to  visit  the  Totonacs  at  their  village 
of  Cempoalla.  The  Indians  in  terror  fled  at  their  ap- 
proach, leaving  signs  of  human  sacrifices  in  the  tem- 
ples. 

Three  miles  from  Cempoalla,  they  were  met  by 
twenty  Indians  bearing  large,  deep-red,  deliciously 
scented  pineapples,  a  present  from  the  chief.  Soon  the 
town  came  in  view,  its  freshly  plastered  buildings  shin- 
ing in  the  sun.  One  of  the  horsemen  mistook  them  for 
silver,  and  was  well  chaffed  by  his  comrades  when  his 
error  was  discovered. 

As  they  approached,  the  inhabitants  thronged  the 
streets  in  their  gayest  clothes  of  colored  cotton  stuffs, 
with  ornaments  of  gold  and  headdresses  of  flowers  and 
colored  plumes.  The  houses,  built  of  stone  and  mor- 
tar, were  surrounded  by  lawns  and  gardens,  and  many 
had  spacious  courtyards.  The  chief  of  Cempoalla,  a 
very  fat  man,  was  good  nature  itself  and  made  the 
Spaniards  welcome,  giving  them  comfortable  quarters 
and  the  best  the  town  could  offer  in  the  way  of  food, 
chiefly  corn  and  fresh  plums.  He  also  tendered  Cortes 
a  small  present  of  gold  and  mantles,  all,  he  said,  that 
they  possessed.  Montezuma  had  taken  the  rest,  and 
also  oppressed  them  cruelly,   seizing  a  great  number 

74 


THE  EICH  CITY  OF  THE  TEUE  CROSS 

of  their  fairest  girls  and  bravest  young  men  yearly  for 
sacrifice. 

Cortes  told  him  that  since  he  was  the  envoy  of  the 
greatest  sovereign  in  all  the  world,  he  would  help  him 
throw  off  the  yoke  of  the  tyrant./ 

As  they  were  talking,  who  should  arrive  but  five 
Mexican  tax-gatherers,  very  grand  personages,  who 
marched  haughtily  by  Cortes'  quarters,  their  noses  in 
the  air,  their  wands  of  office  in  their  hands,  each  tended 
by  a  slave  who  fanned  away  the  flies.  The  Totonac 
chiefs  talking  with  Cortes  turned  pale  with  fear,  and 
left  him  hastily  to  order  a  great  feast  prepared  for 
these  representatives  of  the  monarch  whom  they  both 
feared  and  hated.  Everywhere  was  a  bustle  of  prep- 
aration, and  Cortes  and  his  men  were  quite  neglected. 

Learning  from  Marina  what  it  was  all  about,  Cortes 
determined  to  play  a  master-stroke.  He  summoned  the 
chiefs  back  again  peremptorily,  and  actually  persuaded 
them  to  imprison  these  sacred  persons.  At  first  they 
turned  pale  with  horror  at  the  mere  suggestion,  but 
such  was  the  force  of  Cortes'  words  that  they  not  only 
summoned  up  courage  to  seize  these  grand  officials,  but 
added  insult  to  injury  by  attaching  them  by  the  col- 
lar to  long  poles,  like  the  worst  criminals. 

When  the  news  of  this  deed  spread,  the  Indians  were 
convinced  that  the  Spaniards  who  had  instigated  it 
were  not  men,  but  teules,  or  gods;  and  such  they  were 
called  from  that  time  on. 

75 


MEXICO     ^ 

The  chiefs,  well  aware  what  a  dangerous  step  they 
had  taken,  wished  to  kill  the  tax-gatherers,  so  that 
they  could  not  return  to  Mexico  and  tell  how  they  had 
been  treated ;  but  Cortes  prevented  this.  He  had  other 
plans.  He  placed  a  strong  guard  of  Spaniards  and  In- 
dians about  the  prisoners,  and  gave  instructions  to  his 
sentinels  that  they  should  bring  two  of  them  to  him  at 
midnight  without  letting  the  Indian  guards  know. 

When  they  appeared,  he  pretended  not  to  know  what 
had  happened,  and  feigned  astonishment  when  told. 

He  had  never  heard  of  the  move  till  now !  Let  them 
not  think  that  he  had  a  hand  in  it!  Why,  he  and  his 
men  were  all  Montezuma's  sincerest  friends  and  most 
devoted  servants !  To  prove  the  truth  of  his  words,  he 
would  set  them  free,  that  they  might  go  back  and  tell 
Montezuma  this,  and  how  sorry  Cortes  was  for  what 
they  had  suffered.  For  tlie  present,  would  they  accept 
his  invitation  to  supper  ? 

Soon  the  perplexed  officials  were  sitting  down  before 
a  sumptuous  meal  of  the  best  food  the  Totonacs  had 
given  the  Spaniards.     After  it,  Cortes  sent  them  with, 
a  guard  of  his  own  sailors  to  a  place  on  the  coast  out 
of  the  way  of  the  Totonacs. 

At  daybreak,  the  Totonacs  were  very  much  surprised 
to  find  two  of  their  prisoners  gone.  How  could  they 
have  escaped  ?  Cortes  was  as  surprised  as  they,  and 
even  more  angry.  The  Totonac  guards  must  have  been 
very  careless!     Such  a  thing  must  not  occur  again. 

Y6 


THE  RICH  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

He  himself  would  take  steps  to  prevent  it.  The  rest 
of  the  prisoners  must  be  brought,  in  chains,  on  board 
his  ships,  where  they  would  be  better  watched.  This 
was  done. 

Once  he  had  the  prisoners  on  board  ship,  and  out  of 
hearing  of  the  Totonacs,  he  changed  his  tone  com- 
pletely, and  told  them,  with  a  pleasant  smile,  that  he 
had  brought  them  there  to  rescue  them  from  their  cap- 
tors, and  that  he  would  send  them  back  to  Mexico  in  a 
very  short  time.     He  soon  kept  his  word. 

Cortes'  plan  in  all  this  duplicity  was  to  stir  up 
strife  between  Montezuma  and  his  coast  subjects  and 
thus  divide  the  empire  and  make  it  easier  to  conquer. 
On  the  other  hand,  he  did  not  wish  to  come  out  yet  as 
an  open  enemy  of  Montezuma's  because  that  would  make 
his  entrance  into  the  capital  too  difficult.  It  is  aston- 
ishing to  see  how  far-sighted  he  was,  and  how  abso- 
lutely correct  his  moves  were  from  an  intriguing  point 
of  view,  even  at  this  early  stage  of  the  game,  when  he 
had  only  the  slightest  clues  as  to  the  state  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  possibility  of  overthrowing  Montezuma's 
rule.  But  though  we  acknowledge  the  cleverness  of  his 
actions,  we  cannot  admire  them.  We  must  remember, 
however,  that  in  the  age  in  which  Cortes  lived,  such 
plotting  was  considered  a  part  of  statecraft  in  the  most 
civilized  countries.  Nowadays  we  all  know  one  great 
modern  nation  that  still  employs  even  worse  methods  in 
her  dealings  with  other  countries  than  those   Cortes 

77 


MEXICO 

used  in  the  sixteenth  century.  And,  strangely  enoug-h, 
the  scene  of  some  of  lier  plotting  has  been  laid  in  this 
very  Mexico.  You  will  see  as  you  go  on  that  this  un- 
fortunate land  has  been  a  gathering-ground  for  con- 
spirators of  all  kinds.  Cortes  was  the  first  we  know 
of,  the  greatest,  the  most  successful,  and  perhaps  not 
the  worst.  He,  at  least,  was  not  influenced  entirely  by 
base  motives;  for  he  was  firmly  convinced  that  the  ter- 
ritory belonged  by  right  to  Charles  V.  of  Spain,  and 
he  did  honestly  long  to  put  a  stop  to  the  horrible  hu- 
man sacrifices  he  saw,  and  introduce  a  purer  religion. 

Having  thus  committed  the  poor  Totonacs  to  a  policy 
of  opposition  to  Montezuma,  and  allowed  the  tax- 
gatherers  to  escape,  Cortes  now  set  his  men  to  work 
to  build  the  new  settlement.  The  Indians  helped,  and 
in  a  surprisingly  short  time  a  church,  storehouse,  fort 
and  houses  were  erected.  Cortes  himself  put  the  first 
hand  to  the  fort,  carried  earth  and  stone,  and  worked 
at  the  foundations.  It  was  one  of  the  secrets  of  his 
popularity  that  he  not  only  directed,  but  led  his  men  in 
everything,  in  work  as  well  as  in  fighting. 

Montezuma,  meanwhile,  was  greatly  puzzled  by  the 
actions  of  this  perplexing  white  man.  At  first,  when 
he  heard  of  the  rebellion  of  the  Totonacs,  he  rightly  laid 
it  to  the  influence  of  the  Spaniards  and  was  for  sending 
a  force  and  crushing  them  at  once.  Before  his  soldiers 
left,  the  released  prisoners  arrived,  and  then  the  poor 
king  did  not  know  what  to  do.     So,  as  usual,  he  com- 


THE  KICH  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

promised.  He  sent  an  embassy  with  more  presents  to 
Cortes,  to  thank  him  for  the  release  of  the  tax-gatherers, 
but  at  the  same  time  complained  about  the  revolt  of  the 
Totonacs,  for  which  he  hinted  the  Spaniards  were  re- 
sponsible. 

This  wavering  and  regard  for  the  strangers  on  Mon- 
tezuma's part  more  than  ever  convinced  the  Totonacs 
that  the  Spaniards  were  gods.  Cortes  himself  was  well 
satisfied,  sent  word  to  Montezuma  that  the  Totonacs  had 
passed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  King  of  Spain  and 
so  were  freed  from  Montezuma's  sovereignty,  and  fin- 
ished by  saying  that  he  would  explain  all  these  matters 
when  he  called  on  Montezuma  in  person. 

It  was  now  almost  time  to  take  up  his  march  over  the 
high  mountains  towards  the  unknown  capital.  But  be- 
fore he  left,  Cortes,  with  his  wonderful  courage,  took 
two  bold  steps.  In  the  very  faces  of  the  enraged  priests 
and  threatening  people,  he  ordered  his  soldiers  to  mount 
the  steps  of  the  temples  in  Cempoalla,  seize  the  idols, 
and  hurl  them  down,  breaking  them  into  a  thousand 
pieces.  The  natives  let  fly  a  storm  of  arrows  at  the 
soldiers  for  this  sacrilege;  and  to  ensure  their  safety, 
Cortes  had  the  chiefs  and  principal  personages  seized 
and  held  as  hostages.  If  the  attack  was  not  instantly 
stopped,  he  declared,  they  should  all  forfeit  their  lives. 
His  firmness,  as  usual,  had  its  effect,  and  quiet  was  re- 
stored; which  was  made  more  lasting  by  the  fact  that 
the  people,  to  their  great  astonishment,  S^w  that  their 

70 


MEXICO 

supposed  gods  paid  not  the  slightest  attention  to  the 
insult  offered  them.  Perhaps,  after  all,  the  Christian 
gods  were  more  powerful !  They  listened,  therefore,  with 
great  respect,  when  Father  Bartolome  tried  to  explain, 
through  Marina,  the  principles  of  Christianity;  they 
consented  to  have  the  blood  cleaned  away  from  their 
temples,  a  cross  and  an  altar  erected,  and  an  image  of 
the  Virgin  and  Child  placed  on  the  latter.  The  temple 
was  filled  with  roses  and  other  sweet  flowers,  brought 
by  the  willing  Indians,  and  some  of  the  very  priests 
who  had  officiated  before  at  the  horrible  cannibalistic 
orgies  changed  their  black  robes  for  white,  cut  off  their 
blood-clotted  hair,  and  consented  to  keep  the  temple  as 
the  Spaniards  wished  it.  An  old  lame  Spanish  soldier 
was  left  to  show  them  their  new  duties. 

And  now  took  place  one  of  the  most  dramatic  and 
daring  acts  of  all  history.  Cortes  knew  that  there  was 
still  danger  of  mutiny  among  his  men ;  in  fact,  he  had 
just  had  to  quell  one,  and  execute  two  of  the  leaders. 
As  long  as  the  ships  remained,  ready  to  carry  them 
home,  there  would  be  trouble.  The  only  thing  that  re- 
mained, then,  was  to  destroy  the  ships !  And  this 
Cortes  actually  persuaded  his  officers  and  his  men  to  do. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  ships  were  all  that  stood 
between  them  and  ruin,  if  the  Indians  decided  to  turn 
against  them,  the  Spaniards  calmly  ran  them  aground 
and  burnt  them.  One  only  was  left,  which  was  sent 
away  to  carry  to  the  King  of  Spain  the  presents  of  gold 

80 


THE  RICH  CITY  OF  THE  TRUE  CROSS 

and  an  account  of  all  that  had  happened.  Then  Cortes, 
in  a  glowing  speech,  such  as  he  well  knew  how  to  make, 
reminded  his  followers  of  the  ostensible  reasons  for  this 
step:  that  the  hundred  sailors  of  the  ships  would  now 
swell  their  ranks.  ^If  any  were  so  cowardly  that  they 
still  wished  to  return  to  Cuba,  they  might  go  in  the 
one  vessel  about  to  sail.  For  the  rest,  they  would  ad- 
vance, to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  Emperor ! 

Again  he  had  touched  the  right  chord  in  his  soldiers' 
hearts. 

'^What  sort  of  Spaniards  are  we,  not  to  want  to  push 
ahead,  but  to  stop  where  there  are  no  hardships  or 
fighting  ?"  exclaimed  Bernal  Diaz. 

The  very  soldiers  who  had  been  on  the  verge  of 
mutiny  were  loudest  in  cheering,  and  all  with  one  ac- 
cord shouted, 

"On  to  Mexico!" 


CHAPTER  VIII 
ON  TO  MEXICO 

On  the  sixteenth  of  August,  1519,  Cortes  and  his 
men  began  their  march  over  the  mountains  towards  the 
capital  they  were  forbidden  to  enter,  and  the  monarch 
who  could  crush  them  with  one  decisive  word  of  com- 
mand to  his  subjects. 

Oh,  for  a  "movie"  of  this  little  band  on  their  way 
through  the  steep  mountain  passes — the  handful  of 
mounted  officers,  handsome  in  light  coats  of  mail  or 
well-fitting  doublets  and  hose,  with  nodding  feathers 
in  their  caps,  managing  to  perfection  their  proudly  step- 
ping horses — then  the  men,  four  hundred  or  so,  a 
bronzed,  hard,  dirty  crew,  some  of  them  with  lowering, 
discontented  faces,  others  all  eagerness  to  push  ahead 
and  get  their  share  of  Montezuma's  treasures — but  all 
of  them,  whatever  their  inner  feelings,  controlled  for 
the  time  by  the  determination  of  the  sallow,  politic, 
iron-spirited  leader,  Cortes.  They  dragged  five  or  six 
small  cannon  with  them,  and  were  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  dogs,  probably  blood-hounds. 

A  small  detachment  was  left  to  guard  the  Rich  City 

82 


ON"  TO  MEXICO 

of  the  True  Cross ;  and  the  rest  advanced  to  Cerapoalla, 
picking  up  here  a  large  number  of  Totonacs,  anxious 
to  aid  in  the  march  of  the  wonderful  teules  against 
Montezuma. 

Soon  they  had  left  behind  the  jungle-growths  of  the 
hot  country,  the  tierra  calienta.  Gone  were  the  palms, 
the  tangle  of  vines,  the  strange  fruits,  gray  hanging 
mosses,  brilliant  flowers  and  birds.  They  were  climb- 
ing up  to  the  temperate  regions  on  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains,  where  the  air  was  cooler  and  more  bracing, 
and  they  marched  between  groves  of  sturdy  oak.  Above 
them  could  be  seen  the  pine  forests,  and,  towering  over 
all,  the  peak  of  Orizaba,  covered  with  snow,  and  red- 
dened with  the  fires  of  its  burning  craters. 

As  they  proceeded,  the  nights  grew  bitterly  cold,  a 
dangerous  change  after  the  sultriness  of  the  coast.  The 
Spaniards  suffered,  and  some  of  the  coast  natives  died. 

They  passed  through  several  small  towns  whose  chiefs 
received  them  hospitably,  sometimes  because  they  were 
friends  of  the  Totonacs,  sometimes  because  they  were 
marching  to  visit  Montezuma.  Cortes  informed  them 
all  that  he  was  the  representative  of  the  greatest  sover- 
eign in  the  world,  and  that  they  must  give  up  their  reli- 
gion. In  each  town  Father  Bartolome  de  Olmedo 
erected  a  cross. 

In  about  a  week  they  had  ascended  the  mountain 
slopes  and  reached  the  town  of  Xocotla,  on  the  tableland 
of  Mexico,  or  the  plateau  of  Anahuac,  as  it  is  also  called. 

S3 


MEXICO 

The  chief,  a  very  fat  man,  nicknamed  by  the  Spaniards 
"The  Trembler,"  because  he  quivered  like  a  jelly,  re- 
ceived them  a  trifle  sullenly.  When  asked  if  he  was 
Montezuma's  vassal,  he  inquired,  with  great  surprise, 
"And  who  is  not  a  vassal  of  Montezuma  ?" 

He  told  them  of  Montezuma's  power  and  greatness, 
and  of  "the  great  and  strong  city  of  Mexico,"  which  lay 
in  the  midst  of  waters,  and  could  only  be  approached 
by  drawbridges.  This  was  the  first  definite  information 
the  Spaniards  had  had  of  the  city  of  Mexico  or  Tenoch- 
titlan.  They  were  all,  including  Cortes,  much  aston- 
ished. "However,  instead  of  being  thereby  disheart- 
ened, we  only  the  more  earnestly  desired  to  try  our  for- 
tune against  the  fortresses  and  bridges,  for  such  is  the 
very  spirit  of  a  Spanish  soldier,"  says  Bernal  de  Diaz. 

The  Totonac  allies  spread  terror  of  the  Spaniards 
among  the  people  of  this  town.  They  pointed  out  their 
fierce  dogs,  their  deadly  cannon,  their  ferocious  horses, 
.nimble  as  deer.  They  added  that  the  teules  could  read 
the  very  thoughts  of  others!  How  else  had  they  been 
able  to  bring  about  the  imprisonment  of  the  tax- 
gatherers  of  the  great  Montezuma,  and  relieve  the  coast 
tribes  of  the  necessity  of  paying  tribute  ?  Even  ]\Ionte- 
zuma  himself  paid  them  deference  and  sent  them 
presents. 

So  the  rumors  flew  through  the  Indian  camps,  as  dark 
heads  whispered  together,  and  dark  eyes  stole  sidelong 
glances  at  the  remarkable  gods  who  had  invaded  their 

84 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

country;  and  when  the  Totonacs  closed  with  the  hint 
that  the  strangers,  like  most  gods,  were  fond  of  gifts, 
ornaments  of  gold,  cotton  clothes,  and  women  to  bake 
maize  bread  were  soon  forthcoming.  Cortes  accepted 
all  graciously. 

The  soldiers,  after  feasting,  went  out  to  see  the  sights. 
Imagine  their  feelings,  when  they  discovered  at  a  cer- 
tain spot  in  the  township  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand skulls  piled  up  ''in  the  best  order  imaginable"  in 
a  public  square,  the  rest  of  the  bones  belonging  to  the 
skulls  decorating  the  other  corners !  On  guard  over  all, 
three  priests.  The  Spanish  soldiers  were  brave,  but  the 
idea  of  being  taken  prisoner  and  sacrificed  according  to 
the  horrible  Aztec  method  was  one  which  made  the 
boldest  toss  uneasily  of  nights  as  he  slept  in  his  clothes, 
his  weapons  by  his  side. 

There  was  a  doubt  now  as  to  how  to  proceed.  There 
were  two  roads  to  Mexico :  one  leading  through  the  coun- 
try of  the  Tlascallans,  that  mountain  people  who  had 
been  long  at  war  with  the  Mexicans,  and  hated  them 
with  a  bitter  hatred  because  the  captives  taken  in  war 
were  sacrificed  every  year  to  the  Mexican  gods;  and 
one  entirely  in  Mexican  territory,  going  through  Cho- 
lula,  a  town  which  might  be  called  the  "Boston  of 
Mexico"  on  account  of  its  great  culture.  ,It  was  here 
that  the  Fair  God  had  tarried  for  twenty  years  before 
he  had  quitted  Mexico  forever. 

The  "Trembler"  told  the  Spaniards  to  go  through 

85 


MEXICO 

Cholula,  and  offered  to  furnish  gaiides  to  show  them 
the  way.  The  Totonac  allies,  on  the  other  hand,  ad- 
vised against  it,  because  the  Cholulans,  they  said,  were 
false  and  treacherous.  Cortes  followed  their  advice. 
He  sent  ahead  four  Totonacs  as  messengers  to  the  Tlas- 
callans,  bearing  a  letter,  a  Flemish  hat  with  a  colored 
feather,  and  other  gifts. 

The  ambassadors  did  not  return  as  soon  as  expected ; 
and  Cortes  with  his  men  marched  forward  without  wait- 
ing. They  presently  came  to  a  strange  obstruction,  a 
stone  wall  nine  feet  high  and  twenty  feet  thick,  extend- 
ing right  across  the  valley  from  mountain  to  mountain. 
The  stones  were  cemented  together  so  strongly  that  the 
wall  could  hardly  be  broken  with  pikes.  The  Xocotlans, 
a  small  number  of  whom  had  accompanied  Cortes,  told 
him  that  it  had  been  built  by  the  Tlascallans  as  a  de- 
fense against  Montezuma's  forces.  There  was  an  open- 
ing in  it,  made  by  two  semi-circular  lines  of  wall  over- 
lapping each  other  so  as  to  form  a  narrow  passage, 
through  which  the  Spanish  warriors  and  their  allies 
passed.     There  were  no  Tlascallans  there  to  stop  them. 

Meanwhile,  in  the  city  of  Tlascalla,  the  chief  men  of 
these  warlike  mountaineers  were  engaged  in  hot  discus- 
sions regarding  the  entry  of  the  Spaniards.  The  mes- 
sengers had  arrived,  and  had  told  them  the  history  of 
the  "gods"  in  Mexico,  their  invincibility,  their  terrible 
weapons  and  animals,  how  they  had  already  freed  the 

86 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

Totonacs  from  Montezuma,  and  now  desired  the  friend- 
ship of  the  Tlascallans,  and  to  visit  them. 

Spme  of  the  lords  were  for  welcoming  the  Spaniards 
as  gods  and  children  of  the  sun,  come  to  fulfill  the 
ancient  prophecies ;  but  one  of  them,  the  old  Xicotencatl, 
the  oldest  of  all  and  blind,  said  that  to  him  they  seemed 
more  like  monsters  than  like  gods,  monsters  thrown  up 
by  the  sea  because  it  would  no  longer  contain  them! 
He  advised  against  their  being  allowed  to  enter 
Tlascalla. 

Finally  a  compromise  was  adopted.  The  Tlascallans 
decided  to  appear  friendly  and  accept  the  gifts,  but 
secretly  to  set  on  the  Otomis,  a  barbarous  people  who 
were  allies  of  theirs  and  lived  on  the  borders  of  their 
territory,  to  attack  the  teules.  If  the  Otomis  failed, 
they  could  bear  the  blame;  if  they  succeeded,  the  in- 
vaders would  be  kept  out  of  Tlascalla. 

Cortes  and  his  men,  who  were  in  a  valley,  had  not 
gone  very  far  when  a  number  of  Indians  appeared  and 
attacked  them.  The  Spaniards  managed  to  repulse 
them  and  camped  that  night  in  a  dry  river  bed,  making 
their  supper  off  animals  resembling  young  dogs,  which 
Bernal  Diaz  tells  us  made  "very  delicious  joints." 

The  next  morning  they  saw  a  still  greater  army  of 
Indians  approaching.  Cortes  assembled  his  men,  and 
led  them  to  battle,  crying  ''Santiago!"  (St.  Jago,  or  St. 
James,  the  patron  of  Spain.)  There  was  a  fierce  con- 
flict.    The  Spaniards  were  many  times  over  outnum- 

87 


MEXICO 

bered  by  their  yelling  foes.  The  Indians,  pretending 
to  retreat,  artfully  led  them  into  a  mountain  pass,  and 
then  above  their  heads  the  Spaniards  saw  hosts  of  "war- 
riors bearing  the  flag  of  Tlascalla,  red  and  white,  and 
adorned  with  a  heron  with  outspread  wings.  They 
knew  then  that  they  were  fighting,  not  the  barbarous 
Otomis,  as  they  had  supposed,  but  the  Tlascallans  them- 
selves. The  ground  was  full  of  great  holes,  which  made 
their  cavalry  useless,  and  stones  and  arrows  came  whiz- 
,  zing  at  their  heads.  But  they  pressed  through  the  pass 
somehow,  and  reached  another  plain,  where  their  caval- 
ry and  artillery  worked  havoc  in  the  Indian  ranks. 
The  Spaniards  kept  closely  together,  while  the  artillery 
mowed  down  rows  of  the  closely  packed  natives,  and 
the  charging  horses  struck  terror  to  their  souls. 

After  this  battle,  however,  the  Tlascallans  never  again 
regarded  the  horses  as  gods;  for  they  succeeded  in  kill- 
ing one,  and  next  day  parts  of  the  animal  were  sent  all 
over  Tlascalla  to  show  that  it  was  only  mortal.  One 
'  reason  that  the  Spaniards  were  not  utterly  destroyed  was 
that  the  Indians  were  determined  to  capture  them  alive 
for  the  sacrifice.  Finally  Xicotenatl,  the  son  of  the  old 
chief,  drew  off  his  forces,  and  the  Spaniards,  wounded 
and  exhausted,  retreated  to  the  temples  of  a  deserted 
village,  where  they  passed  an  uncomfortable  night. 

The  Tlascallan  attacks  stopped  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
Cortes  sent  messages  of  peace  and  friendship  through 
some  of  his  captured  prisoners.     These  came  back  with 

88 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

the  message  from  General  Xicotenatl  that  the  Tlascal- 
lans  would  make  peace  after  they  had  satiated  them- 
selves with  the  flesh  of  the  Spaniards  and  sacrificed  their 
blood  and  hearts  to  their  gods !  He  would  fight  them 
next  morning  with  a  much  greater  army. 

Consternation  filled  the  Spanish  camp.  The  soldiers 
spent  the  night  praying  and  confessing  to  the  two 
priests.  It  looked  indeed  as  if  they  would  need  all 
their  prayers. 

Early  the  next  morning  the  young  Xicotenatl,  as 
chivalrous  as  he  was  brave,  sent  Cortes  three  hundred 
turkeys  and  two  hundred  baskets  of  maize  cakes  in  or- 
der, he  said,  that  the  Spaniards  might  not  give  hunger 
as  an  excuse  for  being  defeated !  ^It  is  supposed  that 
the  Spaniards  feasted  on  them.  At  any  rate,  they 
marched  out  bravely,  carrying  with  them  their  prized 
standard,  the  silk  banner  with  its  cross  and  flames. 
Even  the  badly  wounded  among  them  had  to  fight,  but 
even  so  there  were  only  about  four  hundred,  besides 
the  Totonac  allies,  against  the  countless  hosts  of  the 
Tlascallans  and  Otomis.  These  awaited  them  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  away,  covering  ^he  plain  with  a  sea  of  dark 
heads  and  colored  plumes,  interspersed  with  the  heron 
pennants. 

But  the  very  numbers  of  the  enemy  proved  their  un- 
doing, for  close  packed  as  they  were,  the  Spanish  fire 
mowed  them  down  in  heaps,  and  there  was  such  crowd- 
ing  and   confusion   they   could   not  maneuver.     Each 

89 


MEXICO 

Spaniard,  the  terrible  doom  of  sacrifice  before  bis  eyes, 
f ougbt  like  tbe  god  or  devil  be  was  supposed  to  be ;  and 
tbe  result  was  victory,  or,  at  any  rate,  a  witbdrawal  of 
tbe  Tlascallan  forces.  Cortes,  in  a  letter  to  tbe  King, 
described  tbe  event  tbus  simply : 

"We  mustered  against  tbem,  and  Our  Lord  was 
pleased  so  to  aid  us,  tbat,  in  about  four  bours,  we  man- 
aged tbat  tbey  sbould  no  more  molest  us  in  our  camp, 
altbougb  tbey  still  kept  up  some  attacks ;  tbus  we  kept 
figbting  until  it  grew  to  be  late,  wben  tbey  retired." 

Miraculous  as  it  may  seem,  tbe  Spaniards  only  lost 
one  man,  altbougb  sixty  men  and  all  of  tbe  borses  were 
wounded.  Tbese  "wounds,"  made  by  arrows  and  clubs, 
instead  of  macbine  guns,  were  probably  less  disabling 
tban  tbey  sound. 

Tbe  Tlascallans  next  tried  a  nigbt  attack,  but  tbe 
Spaniards  bad  posted  sentries,  wbo  gave  tbe  alarm,  and 
tbe  cavalry  routed  tbe  Indians  by  moonligbt. 

Cortes  bad  to  figbt  a  worse  foe  tban  tbe  Tlascallans, 
and  tbat  was  the  discontent  of  bis  own  men.  They  were 
asking  each  other  why  be  bad  got  them  into  this  tight 
place.  He  was  like  a  simple  character  in  an  old  story, 
Peter  the  Charcoal-burner,  who  "knew  very  well  where 
he  was,  but  didn't  know  how  to  get  out."  If  he  had 
gone  mad,  tbey  need  not  do  likewise.  They  would  re- 
turn to  tbe  sea-coast,  and  leave  him  to  follow  if  he 
chose.  Tbese  and  many  more  remarks  of  the  same  kind 
were  reported  to  Cortes  as  he  tossed  on  bis  bed,  stricken 

90 


ox  TO  MEXICO 

with  fever  and  ague ;  for  even  his  iron  health  had  been 
affected  by  the  hardships  they  were  enduring. 

Finally  a  delegation  from  the  discontented  ones 
called  on  him  in  his  tent  to  beg  him  to  return  to  Vera 
Cruz  before  it  was  too  late  and  they  were  all  sacrificed 
to  idols.  Such  rash  things  as  he  had  done  had  never 
been  heard  of  in  history!  It  was  a  wonder  they  were 
not  all  destroyed. 

Cortes,  more  sallow  than  ever  with  fever,  hesitated 
not  a  moment  for  his  answer.  They  must  go  on.  God 
was  on  their  side.  Besides,  if  they  retreated  now,  the 
Indians,  both  allies  and  foes,  would  despise  them,  and 
"the  very  stones  of  the  ground  would  be  raised  up 
against  them."  "You  must  bear  in  mind,"  he  went  on, 
"that  we  are  not  come  into  this  country  to  seek  repose, 
but  to  fight  valiantly  whenever  it  may  be  necessary. 
Show  yourselves  brave  soldiers  as  you  have  hitherto, 
for,  next  to  God,  all  depends  upon  the  valor  of  our 
arms." 

The  men  still  looked  sullen.  Cortes,  dropping  his 
mild  manner,  exclaimed  angrily : 

"Let  me  tell  you  then,  it  is  better  to  die  like  brave 
warriors  than  to  live  as  cowards !"  and  they  were  shamed 
into  silence. 

It  is  not  strange  that  Cortes  should  have  had  some 
discontented  ones  among  his  followers,  for  many  were 
not  soldiers  by  profession,  but  business  men  and  men 

91 


MEXICO 

of  property  who  had  come  to  Mexico  to  enrich  them- 
selves ratlier  than  to  fight. 

Soon  after  this,  the  last  of  Xicotenatl's  attacks  hav- 
ing failed,  that  haughty  general  himself  came,  with 
other  Tlascallan  chiefs,  to  beg  for  peace.  Clad  in  red 
and  white  cloaks  of  nequen,  or  hemp  fiber,  the  moun- 
taineers advanced  to  the  tent  of  the  white  captain,  whom 
they  saluted,  kissing  their  hands  to  the  ground  and 
waving  pans  of  burning  copal  in  his  face.  ''General 
Xicotenatl,"  says  Diaz,  "was  a  tall  man,  broad  shoul- 
dered and  well  built,  with  a  large,  fresh-colored  face, 
full  of  scars,  as  if  pitted  with  the  small-pox.  He  may 
have  been  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  was  earnest 
and  dignified  in  his  deportment."  We  can  listen  to  the 
speech  of  this  officer  of  what  has  been  called  the  first 
American  republic  with  more  s}T2ipathy  than  did 
Cortes,  the  loyal  representative  of  an  autocratic 
monarch. 

The  Tlascallans,  said  Xicotenatl,  had  fought  as  well 
as  they  knew  how,  day  and  night,  to  escape  being  con- 
quered by  the  Spaniards,  since  it  was  their  boast  that 
they  had  never  been  subject  to  any  one,  not  even  the 
most  powerful  Montezuma  or  his  ancestors.  They  had 
endured  everything  for  the  sake  of  their  freedom.  But 
now  since  all  their  eiforts  against  the  Spaniards  had 
failed,  they  would  become  vassals  of  the  King  of  the 
strangers  rather  than  be  totally  destroyed.  Here  poor 
Xicotenatl  gave  the  conqueror  some  presents,  apologiz- 

92 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

ing  for  their  poverty  on  the  plea  that  it  was  all  the 
Aztecs  had  left  them.  All  this  Marina  translated,  her 
dark  eyes  flashing  with  pleasure  because  even  this 
dreaded  warrior  had  at  last  surrendered  to  her  captain. 
Xicotenatl  closed  by  delivering  an  invitation  to  the 
Spaniards  to  visit  the  Tlascallans  in  their  capital  city. 

Cortes  accepted  Xicotenatl's  offer  of  fealty,  promising 
that  he  would  visit  his  city  later.  He  did  not  quite 
trust  his  new  friends. 

The  Tlascallans  departed,  but  not  before  they  had 
seen  with  alarm  that  other  visitors  besides  themselves 
were  in  the  Spanish  camp.  These  were  some  of  Monte- 
zuma's officials,  who  had  arrived  a  day  or  two  earlier, 
and  who,  on  their  side,  regarded  Cortes'  dealings  with 
the  Tlascallans  with  great  disapproval.  The  Mexicans 
had  come  with  a  most  humble  message  from  Montezuma, 
who  had  heard  of  the  success  of  the  Spaniards  against 
the  Tlascallan  hosts  and  had  been  disheartened  by  it. 
He  would  acknowledge  the  sovereignty  of  the  King  of 
Spain,  and  give  whatever  yearly  tribute  of  gold,  slaves 
and  other  valuables  that  monarch  desired ;  but  at  the 
same  time  he  made  a  last  attempt  to  keep  the  Spaniards 
from  coming  to  visit  him  by  telling  them  that  his  city 
was  very  poor  and  lacking  in  provisions  and  they  would 
suffer  want.  The  Spaniards  only  laughed,  knowing 
what  they  did  of  the  riches  of  Mexico. 

Still  more  visitors  came  to  camp  in  these  days,  some 
from  Montezuma  and  some  from  Tlascalla,  among  the 

93 


MEXICO 

latter  being  old,  blind  Xicotencatl,  father  of  the  Gen- 
eral, who  had  wished  to  destroy  the  strangers,  but  now 
felt  of  Cortes'  face  and  figure,  since  he  could  not  see 
him,  and  begged  him  in  hone^'ed  words  to  visit  Tlascalla. 
It  was  he  who  first  called  Cortes  "Malintzin,"  meaning 
Marina's  captain,  a  name  he  came  to  be  generally  known 
by  among  the  native  tribes,  because  Marina  was  always 
in  his  tent  interpreting  when  ambassadors  called. 

Cortes  finally  promised  that  he  would  visit  Tlascalla 
if  the  natives  would  transport  his  artillery  there,  which 
they  at  once  arranged  to  do.  Thus  the  Spaniards  set 
out  for  the  mountain  capital. 

It  seemed  to  them  quite  a  splendid  city,  after  their 
many  weeks  in  the  rough  country,  and  they  said  it 
was  larger  than  Granada,  in  Spain,  with  better  shops, 
both  for  provisions  and  luxuries.  There  were  even 
barber  shops!  Whether  all  this  was  true,  or  whether 
the  Spaniards  were  a  little  dazzled  by  the  strangeness 
of  everything,  and  exhilarated  beyond  sober  judgment 
by  their  recent  successes,  it  is  hard  for  us  to  decide. 
Certainly  some  of  the  scientists  who  have  studied  Mexi- 
can ruins  think  that  no  such  remarkable  towns  as  the 
Spanish  describe  ever  existed  in  Mexico.  On  the  other 
hand,  one  likes  to  give  credit  to  people  actually  on  the 
spot.  I  am  certain  that  if  any  of  these  critical  scien- 
tists had  been  with  Cortes  on  his  march  they  would  have 
found  Tlascalla  a  very  delightful  city,  its  houses  most 
comfortable  in  comparison  with  the  rough  camps  they 

94 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

had  endured,  its  gayly  dressed  natives  who  welcomed 
them  with  baskets  of  roses  and  clouds  of  incense  a  most 
delightful  contrast  to  the  same  natives  armed  to  the 
teeth  and  hurling  stones  and  arrows  at  them. 

The  Spaniards  were  lodged  in  Xicotencatl's  palace, 
where,  in  spite  of  Tlascallan  remonstrances,  they  wisely 
kept  their  guard  as  usual. 

fin  Tlascalla,  Cortes  learned  still  more  of  the  size 
and  grandeur  of  this  Tenochtitlan  which  he  proposed 
to  conquer ;  and  also  how  Montezuma  was  hated  by 
most  of  the  nations  subject  to  him  on  account  of  his 
oppressions.  Here  also  he  heard  for  the  first  time  of 
the  strange  legend  which  had  helped  so  much  his  pro- 
gress into  the  country :  that,  as  the  old  chronicle  puts  it, 
"a  certain  god,  to  whom  they  paid  great  honors,  had 
informed  them  that  there  would  one  time  come  from 
the  rising  of  the  sun,  out  of  distant  countries,  a  people 
who  would  rule  over  them."  N^o  wonder  that  the  Span- 
iards were  "all  greatly  astonished  at  this  account,  and 
inquired  of  each  other  in  amazement,  whether  all  that 
was  told  them  could  be  true."  Cortes  was  too  politic 
not  to  put  the  legend  to  practical  use  at  once.  They  had 
indeed  come,  he  said,  from  the  rising  of  the  sun.  The 
Emperor,  his  master,  had  purposely  sent  them,  that 
they  might  become  tlie  brothers  of  the  Tlascallans,  and 
save  them  from  eternal  perdition ! 

As  if  they  had  not  had  enough  hardships  and  danger, 
a  party  of  these  intrepid   Spaniards  under  Diego  de 

95 


MEXICO 

Ordas  attempted  the  ascent  of  Mount  Popocatepetl, 
which  was  at  that  time  in  violent  eruption.  The  accom- 
panying; natives  soon  became  terrified  and  refused  to  go 
more  than  a  short  distance  up  the  slope,  but  the  Span- 
iards kept  on  until  they  had  reached  the  snow,  and  were 
showered  with  hot  lava  and  ashes.  The  cold  was  so 
intense  and  the  burning  showers  so  violent  they  did  not 
quite  reach  the  crater,  but  returned,  carrying  souvenirs 
of  snow  and  icicles  to  their  friends  below.  As  a  reward 
for  this  exploit,  Diego  dc  Ordas  was  afterwards  allowed 
by  the  King  to  carry  a  smoking  volcano  on  his  coat  of 
arms.  At  some  spot  on  the  road  the  Spaniards  had 
their  first  glimpse  of  the  City  of  Mexico  and  the  lakes 
spread  out  on  the  plain. 

During  three  weeks  with  the  Tlascallans,  weeks  of 
feasting  and  present-giving  (mostly  on  the  Tlascallan 
side),  Cortes  at  last  received  Montezuma's  long-delayed 
invitation  to  visit  him  in  his  capital.  The  Mexican 
king  told  Cortes  to  come  thither  by  way  of  Cholula, 
which  was  under  Mexican  control.  The  Tlascallans,  on 
the  other  hand,  said  that  Montezuma  meant  to  have 
the  Cholulans  fall  upon  the  Spaniards  and  destroy 
them,  and  advised  another  route.  In  spite  of  this, 
Cortes  finally  decided  on  the  Cholula  route,  though  he 
took  all  possible  precautions.  lie  and  his  men  set  out 
with  a  great  number  of  Tlascallans,  some  of  whom  he 
presently  sent  away  at  the  request  of  the  Cholulans,  but 
others  camped  outside  the  Cholulan  city. 

96 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

The  Spaniards  were  welcomed  in  Cliolula  in  the 
usual  way,  with  bows,  flowers,  and  incense.  Before 
entering  the  town,  Cortes  read  the  Cholulans  a  letter 
drawn  up  in  Spanish  by  his  notary,  calling  upon  them 
to  pay  allegiance  to  the  Spanish  King,  on  pain  of  being 
treated  as  rebels.  The  Cholulans  of  course  understood 
not  a  word  of  this  document ;  but  this  did  not  matter,  in 
Cortes'  eyes;  they  were  made  Spanish  subjects  by  it 
all  the  same. 

This  town  also  seemed  very  beautiful  to  the  Span- 
iards, and  they  noticed  at  once  the  great  number  of 
temples,  more  than  a  hundred,  for  Cholula  was  a  center 
of  religion,  as  befitted  a  city  where  the  god  Quetzalcoatl 
had  passed  twenty  years.  The  largest  temple  was 
higher  than  any  they  had  seen,  higher  even  than  the  one 
they  were  to  see  in  Mexico.  At  the  beginning  of  their 
stay  all  was  feasting  and  pleasure,  yet  even  then  the 
Spaniards  thought  they  detected  signs  of  treachery: 
piles  of  stones  on  the  house-tops,  holes  in  the  streets 
dangerous  to  cavalry,  and  the  stopping  up  of  many 
streets  and  of  the  main  highway  out  of  town.  On  the 
third  day  of  their  visit  the  Cholulans  ceased  bringing 
provisions  and  looked  at  them,  they  thought,  derisively. 
And  then  Marina  told  Cortes  an  alarming  tale. 

An  old  Cholulan  woman,  it  seemed,  had  taken  a  fancy 
to  her,  and  warned  her  that  her  people  had  received 
orders  from  Montezuma  to  fall  upon  all  the  Spaniards 

97 


MEXICO 

that  night  or  the  next  day.  If  Marina  would  escape, 
she  must  come  home  with  her  that  evening. 

Artful  Marina  thanked  the  old  woman  and  promised 
to  go,  but  said  first  she  must  pack  her  things,  as  she  had 
many  valuable  golden  trinkets.  Instead  of  doing  this, 
she  came  straight  to  Cortes. 

Cortes  had  already  been  warned  to  somewhat  the 
same  effect  by  the  Cempoallan  allies  and  messages  sent 
from  the  Tlascallans  outside  the  city.  The  Cholulans, 
it  seemed,  were  making  war-sacrifices  in  the  temples  and 
sending  away  their  women  and  children.  As  soon  as 
Cortes  had  heard  Marina's  story,  he  had  the  old  woman 
and  two  other  Cholulans  in  camp  seized  and  brought 
before  him,  and  by  cross-questioning  convinced  himself 
that  his  suspicions  were  facts.  They  told  him  that 
Montezuma,  who  had  at  first  told  the  Cholulans  to  re- 
ceive the  Spaniards  hospitably,  had  afterwards  changed 
his  mind  and  sent  orders  to  fall  upon  them ;  that  great 
numbers  of  Mexican  warriors  were  hiding  in  the  moun- 
tains just  outside  town  to  aid  in  the  affair. 

Cortes  called  his  officers  together.  They  were  of 
many  minds;  but  Cortes,  as  usual,  quickly  formed  his 
plan  of  action.  To  strike  the  Cholulans  before  they 
could  strike  him  was  his  one  idea ;  and  he  was  abso- 
lutely pitiless  in  carrying  it  out.  He  sent  word  to  the 
Cholulan  chiefs,  telling  them  that  he  planned  to  leave 
their  town  the  next  day,  and  wished  the  principal  lords 
to  assemble  in  his  quarters  early  the  next  morning  for 

98 


ox  TO  MEXICO 

a  conference,  bringing  with  them  2000  Cholulans  to 
carry  the  Spanish  baggage  out  of  the  country.  This 
practice  of  lending  men  to  carry  the  baggage  of  depart- 
ing guests  for  some  distance  was  a  hospitable  custom  of 
all  the  native  tribes  of  Mexico. 

The  Cholulans  unsuspectingly  agreed,  and  very  early 
the  next  morning  they  entered  the  temple  courtyard 
next  to  the  Spanish  quarters,  whose  high  stone  walls 
had  seen  many  sacrifices,  but  none  so  dreadful  as  the 
one  which  followed.  For  the  orders  which  Cortes  had 
ruthlessly  given  his  soldiers  were  as  ruthlessly  carried 
out;  and  the  Spaniards  with  drawn  swords  fell  upon 
the  unarmed  and  defenseless  Cholulans,  till  the  court- 
yard pavement  ran  red  with  blood.  Of  all  the  natives 
who  entered  so  unsuspectingly,  scarcely  any  escaped 
alive,  for  the  three  entrances  were  all  guarded  with 
soldiers  and  guns.  Among  the  dead  were  many  of  the 
most  important  chiefs,  who  had  come  to  confer  with 
Cortes.  Meanwhile  the  Tlascallans  outside  the  city 
took  occasion  to  rush  in  and  slaughter  their  ancient 
enemies  in  the  streets,  and  drag  numbers  of  them  away 
for  sacrifice.  Altogether  in  that  bloody  morning  more 
than  3000  Cholulans  lost  their  lives ;  and  Cortes  was  so 
little  ashamed  of  this  that  he  took  pains  to  report  the 
number  to  the  Spanish  king.  At  last,  yielding  to 
frenzied  entreaties  of  the  remaining  nobles  and  priests, 
Cortes  ordered  the  massacre  stopped;  the  Tlascallans 
were  made  to  give  up  their  prisoners  and  leave  the  city. 

99 


MEXICO 

This  act  was  the  most  cruel  one  of  Cortes'  career. 
Nothing  can  excuse  it,  not  even  the  plea  of  self-defense 
against  treachery.  If  the  evidence  against  the  Cholu- 
lans  was  really  so  overwhelming  as  he  makes  out — and 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  doubt  about  this — he  could  have 
held  the  Cholulans  in  the  courtyard  as  hostages  until 
assured  of  a  safe  passage  out  of  town.  Bernal  Diaz 
tries  to  make  things  better  by  saying  that  at  any  rate 
the  affair  showed  the  Cholulans  that  their  gods  were 
of  no  use,  and  so  put  them  in  a  better  frame  of  mind 
to  accept  Christianity!  He  docs  not  say  what  idea 
the  Cholulans  had  of  the  Christian  god  who  had  appar- 
ently inspired  the  massacre  of  3000  defenseless  people. 

But  Cortes  probably  spent  little  time  in  considering 
the  rights  and  wrongs  of  the  case ;  or  if  he  did,  thought 
in  his  positive  way  that  the  Cholulans  deserved  their 
fate  as  rebels  and  traitors  to  the  King  and  the  Faith 
they  had  never  acknowledged.  He  had  no  pity;  his 
policy  was  terror ;  and  it  worked !  Two  of  the  captive 
lords  whose  lives  had  been  spared  were  sent  to  reassure 
the  terrified  inhabitants  and  make  them  return  to  the 
city,  for  most  of  them  had  fled;  and  within  twenty  days 
life  in  the  city  resumed  its  normal  course,  and  hostility 
to  the  white  men  did  not  dare  to  show  itself. 

Meanwhile  Montezuma  was  growing  more  and  more 
distracted  at  the  doings  of  these  terrible  white  men. 
He  spent  his  days  consulting  his  lords  and  astrologers, 
sending  messengers  to  Cortes  to  try  and  keep  him  from 

100 


ON  TO  MEXICO 

coming,  and  making  preparations  in  case  lie  did  come. 
!N^one  of  the  messages,  of  course,  had  any  effect  on  the 
determined  Spaniard. 

On  the  first  of  iSTovember  the  little  army  with  its 
Indian  allies  began  its  march  again,  up  the  steep  pass 
which  led  to  the  Mexican  plateau.  As  they  gained  the 
highest  point  and  came  in  view  of  the  gleaming  lakes 
and  lake  towns,  their  excitement  was  even  greater  than 
that  of  the  Israelites  when  they  saw  the  Promised  Land. 
Surely  nothing  like  this  magnificent  country  had  ever 
been  dreamed  of  in  the  Old  World !  The  dangers  that 
confronted  them  were  forgotten,  and  they  thought  only 
of  enjoying  themselves  in  Montezuma's  palaces. 

At  every  town  through  which  they  passed,  chiefs 
greeted  them  with  messages  from  the  undecided  King, 
vainly  begging  them  go  and  leave  him  in  peace.  To 
each,  Cortes  gave  answer  that  he  was  charged  by  his 
master.  King  Charles,  to  give  a  message  to  Montezuma 
in  person;  that  he  meant  him  and  the  Mexicans  not 
harm  but  good,  and  that  after  reaching  the  city,  he 
would  leave  it  as  soon  as  the  Mexicans  desired.  All  of 
which  promises  were  worth  not  even  so  much  as  a  "scrap 
of  paper"  in  modern  times. 

The  final  official  who  tried  to  stop  Cortes  was  the 
young  King  of  Texcuco,  Cacamatzin,  who  came  out  to 
meet  him  in  a  gorgeous  litter  covered  with  plumes  and 
jewels.  He  and  his  nobles  all  fell  on  their  knees  pro- 
testing against  Cortes'  advance,  but  of  course  to  no  avail. 

101 


MEXICO 

Next  the  Spaniards  reached  the  lovely  little  lake-town 
of  Cuitlahuac,  now  Tlahna,  and  called  by  the  Spaniards 
Venezuela,  or  little  Venice,  on  account  of  its  watery 
streets.  They  saw  here  the  famous  floating  gardens, 
filled  with  vegetables  and  flowers,  which  the  natives 
moved  by  long  poles  about  the  surface  of  the  lake. 

Their  last  stop  was  at  the  fine  city  of  Iztapalapan, 
seven  miles  from  Mexico,  which  was  noted  for  its  botan- 
ical and  zoological  gardens,  far  ahead  of  anything  in 
Europe  at  that  time,  and  its  fine  stone  houses  with 
lovely  courtyards  and  grounds.  "Everything  was  so 
charming  and  beautiful  that  we  could  find  no  words  to 
express  our  astonishment,"  Bernal  Diaz  exclaims. 
After  the  Conquest  not  a  stone  of  this  beautiful  city  was 
standing.  They  were  royally  treated  here,  and  given 
many  valuable  presents  of  gold  and  embroidered  gar- 
ments, but  nothing  could  keep  them  from  pressing  on 
to  Mexico. 


CHAPTER  IX 
KIDNAPPING  A  MONARCH 

On  the  morning  of  the  eighth  of  November,  1519,  the 
Spaniards  were  on  the  causeway  which  was  one  of  three 
to  connect  Tenochtitlan  with  the  mainland,  and  so  wide 
that  eight  of  the  Spanish  cavah-y  could  ride  abreast  on 
it.  On  all  sides,  in  the  road,  and  in  canoes  on  the 
lake,  a  crowd  of  Aztecs  gazed  at  the  descendants  of  the 
god  who  had  at  last,  as  they  believed,  carried  out  his 
promise.  At  the  entrance  to  the  city  they  were  greeted 
by  one  thousand  principal  citizens,  with  salutations  and 
kissing  of  hands  to  the  bare  earth ;  and  then,  after  cross- 
ing a  drawbridge,  they  saw  approaching  in  a  gorgeous 
litter,  none  other  than  the  gi'eat  Montezuma,  escorted 
by  two  hundred  of  his  courtiers. 

Never  has  there  been  a  more  impressive  scene  in  the 
history  of  the  American  continent  than  this  meeting 
between  the  Emperor  of  all  Mexico  and  the  Spanish 
adventurer.  The  picturesque  surroundings,  the  silver- 
towered  city  rising  from  the  gleaming  lake,  the  count- 
less hosts  of  gayly-dressed  subjects  watching  in  awed 
silence,  the  magnificence  of  Montezuma  and  his  train, 

103 


MEXICO 

the  bronze,  war-worn,  jet  fiery  appearance  of  the  Span- 
iards;— all  these  seem  like  a  page  from  the  "Arabian 
]!^ights"  rather  than  sober  history.  The  Spaniards,  we 
may  be  sure,  realized  that  they  were  living  a  romance 
of  the  first  order;  and  their  hearts  beat  high  with  tri- 
umph, as  with  swords  clanking  and  horses  prancing, 
thev  advanced  into  this  City  of  Legend. 

]!kIontezuma  alighted  from  his  litter  and  approached, 
leaning  upon  the  arms  of  two  obsequious  lords,  between 
two  files  of  bare-footed  though  splendidly  dressed  cour- 
tiers, who  stood  silent  with  down-cast  eyes  as  he  passed. 
Cortes  alighted  from  his  horse  and  impetuously  made  as 
if  to  embrace  the  Aztec  King,  but  the  lords,  aghast  at 
such  familiarity,  prevented,  and  they  and  their  royal 
master  also  went  through  the  customary  salute  of  kiss- 
ing their  own  hands  and  touching  them  to  the  ground. 
Cortes  then  took  a  collar  from  his  neck  and  gave  it  to 
Montezuma  with  a  truly  princely  air.  The  fact  that 
it  was  made  principally  of  glass  beads  did  not  interfere 
at  all  with  the  flourish  with  which  he  presented  it  to 
the  monarch  who  had  given  him  so  much  jewelry  of 
surpassing  value.  Montezuma  signed  to  his  servants, 
who  presently  came  with  some  beautifully  worked 
golden  necklaces  for  Cortes  in  return.  Meanwhile  the 
procession  started  back  towards  town,  Cortes  being  es- 
corted by  Montezuma's  brother.  At  every  step  the 
wonder  of  the  Spaniards  grew,  as  they  saw  the  beautiful 
houses,    streets,    markets    and    temples    of    this    great 

104 


KIDoS^APPING  A  MONARCH 

American  city.  Presently  they  reached  the  palace 
•which  Montezuma  had  assigned  to  the  Spaniards,  where 
he  left  them  to  be  served  with  a  delicious  repast.  In 
the  afternoon  he  returned  with  his  retinue  for  another 
stately  visit;  during  which  he  made  Cortes  the  following 
remarkable  speech,  which  I  quote  in  shortened  form 
from  Cortes'  own  report  of  it. 

We  have  known  since  a  long  time,  from  the  chronicles  of 
our  forefathers,  that  neither  I,  nor  those  who  inhabit  this 
country,  are  descendants  from  the  aborigines  of  it,  but  from 
strangers,  who  came  to  it  from  veiy  distant  regions;  and  we 
also  hold,  that  our  race  was  brought  to  these  parts  by  a  lord, 
whose  vassals  they  all  were  and  who  returned  to  his  native 
country.  .  .  .  And  we  have  always  held  that  his  descendants 
would  come  to  subjugate  this  countiy  and  us,  as  his  vassals; 
and  according  to  the  direction  from  which  you  say  you  come, 
which  is  where  the  sun  rises,  and  from  what  you  tell  us  of  your 
gri'eat  lord,  or  king,  who  has  sent  you  here,  we  believe  and  hold 
for  certain  that  he  is  our  rightful  sovereign.  .  .  . 

Since  you  are  in  your  rightful  place  and  in  your  own  homes, 
rejoice  and  rest,  free  from  all  the  trouble  of  the  journey  and 
the  wars  you  have  had.  .  .  .  All  that  I  possess,  you  may  have 
whenever  you  wish. 

Bernal  Diaz  describes  Montezuma  as  about  forty 
years  old  (he  was  really  fifty-six),  fairly  tall,  slender, 
well-proportioned,  with  a  complexion  somewhat  lighter 
than  the  average  Indian.  lie  was  very  clean,  the  Span- 
ish soldier  tells  us,  and  adds,  with  a  touch  of  awe,  that 
he  took  a  bath  every  single  day !  He  never  wore  his 
garments  more  than  once. 

105 


MEXICO 

Cortes  soon  returned  Montezuma's  visit  with  all  cere- 
mony in  the  royal  palace.  He  took  with  him  Pedro  de 
Alvarado,  nicknamed  In-  the  Tlascallans  the  ''Sun,"  on 
account  of  his  light  hair  and  florid  complexion,  hand- 
some appearance  and  bright  smile,  and  other  officers 
and  some  soldiers,  among  whom  was  the  observant 
Bernal  Diaz. 

Cortes  began  his  discourse  to  the  Emperor  with  a 
long  explanation  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  urged 
him  to  adopt  it  instead  of  his  own. 

Montezuma  listened,  astonished  at  what  he  considered 
the  stranger's  ill-breeding.  He  replied,  in  a  tone  which 
discouraged  even  the  irrepressible  Cortes  for  the  time. 

"I  know  what  you  have  stated  about  the  Cross  and 
everything  else  in  the  to^\Tis  you  have  passed  through. 
We  however  have  kept  silent,  as  the  gods  we  adore  were 
adored  in  bygone  ages  by  our  ancestors,  and  we  once  and 
for  all  acknowledge  them  to  be  good  gods !  Let  us  talk 
no  longer  on  this  subject!" 

He  then  went  on  to  say  pleasantly  that  he  had  opposed 
the  entrance  of  the  Spaniards  because  his  people  were 
afraid  of  them;  that  since  he  had  become  acquainted 
he  had  formed  a  very  high  opinion  of  them,  and  was 
ready  to  share  with  them  all  that  he  possessed.  He 
made  a  little  fun  of  the  people  of  Tlascalla  for  telling 
Cortes  that  he  was  a  god. 

"You  must  just  think  of  that  as  I  tliink  of  the  light- 
lOG 


KIDNAPPING  A  MOXARCH 

ning  and  burning  flames  which  you  are  said  to  whirl 
about  in  all  directions !"  be  said. 

He  gave  them  all  rich  presents ;  more  than  a  thousand 
dollars'  worth  of  gold  to  the  officers;  to  each  soldier  a 
fine  gold  neck-chain.  "Everything  he  gave  away  was 
given  with  the  best  of  good  will,  and  an  air  of  dignity 
such  as  you  might  expect  in  so  great  a  monarch,"  says 
Bernal  Diaz. 

On  another  day  a  visit  to  the  market  and  one  of  the 
great  temples  was  arranged,  at  the  request  of  Cortes. 
"We  were  perfectly  astonished  at  the  vast  numbers  of 
people,  the  profusion  of  merchandise  exposed  for  sale, 
and  at  the  good  police  and  order  that  reigned  through- 
out," Bernal  says.  As  we  have  already  seen  the  market 
through  Aztec  eyes  in  the  chapter  on  old  Anahuac,  we 
will  not  linger  there  with  the  Spaniards,  but  rejoin 
them,  when,  after  admiring  to  the  utmost,  they  were 
taken  by  their  Aztec  gaiides  to  the  great  temple  of  the 
Tlatelolco  quarter,  where  Montezuma  awaited  them. 
He  was  already  on  the  summit,  sacrificing,  but  sent  his 
officers  down  to  help  the  Spaniards  make  the  ascent  of 
the  one  hundred  and  fourteen  steps. 

"Nothing  ever  tires  me  or  my  companions,"  Cortes 
declared,  with  a  touch  of  boastfulness  unusual  in  him. 

From  the  summit  the  Spaniards  gained  a  wonderful 
view  of  the  outspread  city;  but  they  could  not  help 
thinking,  as  they  noticed  the  three  causeways,  each 
guarded  by  drawbridges,  which  were  the  only  exits  from 

107 


MEXICO 

the  city,  how  gi'eatly  they  were  at  the  mercy  of  this 
bland  but  possibly  deceitful  monarch.  This  fear  was 
driven  away,  for  the  time,  by  their  horror  at  seeing  the 
sanctuaries,  reeking  with  blood  and  the  smoke  from 
burning  human  hearts.  Cortes  had  the  audacity  to 
tell  Montezuma  that  his  idols  were  not  gods,  but  devils, 
and  asked  permission  to  cast  them  down  and  erect  a 
statue  to  the  Virgin  in  their  place.  Montezuma,  much 
offended,  replied, 

''Had  I  thought,  Malintzin,  that  you  would  offer  such 
an  insult,  I  would  not  have  shown  you  my  gods.  I  beg 
you  to  dishonor  them  no  further !" 

Even  Cortes  felt  that  he  had  gone  too  far,  and,  chang- 
ing his  tone,  shortly  after  took  leave  of  his  host,  who 
remained  behind  to  make  further  sacrifices  to  appease 
his  insulted  deities.  He  gave  permission,  however,  to 
the  Spaniards  to  fit  up  a  chapel  in  their  own  quarters. 
While  the  altar  for  this  chapel  was  being  erected,  the 
carpenter  discovered  a  hidden  door  leading  to  a  room 
containing  a  great  quantity  of  gold,  precious  stones, 
rich  stuffs,  shields  and  arms — in  fact,  the  hoarded 
treasure  left  by  Montezuma's  grandfather,  the  Emperor 
Axayacatl.  Cortes  was  notified  of  the  discovery,  or- 
dered the  door  blocked  up  again,  and  nothing  to  be  said. 

The  Spaniards  were  enjoying  theUiselves  in  this  hos- 
pitable city  of  Tenochtitlan,  but  they  felt  far  from 
secure.  "What  chance  would  they  have  for  their  lives  if 
Montezuma  should  suddenly  order  the  drawbridges  to 

108 


kid:n'apping  a  monarch 

l)e  raised  and  the  inhabitants  to  fall  upon  them  ?  Cortes 
talked  the  matter  over  with  his  officers,  and  then  and 
there  worked  out  the  wildest,  maddest  scheme  that  ever 
made  the  Muse  of  History  appear  first  cousin  to  a 
moving  picture  director !  This  was  none  other  than  to 
seize  Montezuma  and  keep  him  a  prisoner  in  the  Span- 
ish quarters. 

On  the  morning  of  Monday,  N^ovember  14,  a  subdued 
thrill  of  excitement  ran  through  the  temple  where  the 
Spaniards  lodged.  The  men  were  armed,  the  horsemen 
were  exercising  their  horses,  the  artillery  was  ready  for 
action:  but  all  these  preparations  were  hidden  as  riuch 
as  possible  so  that  the  natives  would  not  notice  anything 
unusual.  Presently  Cortes  wath  five  or  six  of  his  cap- 
tains rode  through  the  courtyard  and  out  into  the  street, 
a  number  of  soldiers  following  them  in  small  parties,  as 
if  by  accident,  but  really  to  keep  the  street  open  behind 
them.  Cortes  and  the  officers  rode  to  the  royal  palace, 
where  they  were  expected  for  an  interview. 

As  usual,  Cortes  had  a  pretext  for  the  part  he  in- 
tended to  play.  You  will  remember  that  he  had  left 
a  colony  at  Vera  Cruz.  During  the  march  to  Mexico  he 
had  once  or  twice  sent  back  word  of  his  own  progress 
and  received  messages  from  them.  Everything  had 
gone  well  there  until  Cortes'  arrival  in  IMexico.  Since 
then,  he  had  had  bad  news.  The  Totonacs  had  revolted 
and  killed  six  Spaniards,  among  them  the  governor  of 
the  colony,  Juan  de  Escalante;  and  Cortes  had  heard 

109 


MEXICO 

that  thej  bad  done  so  on  account  of  direct  orders  from 
Montezuma. 

Montezuma  received  the  party  unsuspectingly,  and  in 
Lis  usual  generous  style  gave  them  handsome  presents 
of  gold.  Nor  was  this  enough.  He  bestowed  upon 
Cortes  the  hand  of  one  of  his  daughters  in  marriage,  and 
gave  daughters  of  other  lords  to  Cortes'  captains.  In 
Mexican  eyes  polygamy  was  no  crime ;  and  the  Span- 
iards do  not  seem  to  have  laid  any  stress  upon  what 
their  own  faith  taught  them  in  this  regard. 

It  would  have  been  hard  for  most  people  to  accept 
these  presents  and  then  turn  about  and  make  things 
unpleasant  for  the  giver ;  but  Cortes  does  not  seem  to 
have  had  any  trouble  in  doing  so.  "After  conversing 
with  Montezuma  lightly  on  pleasant  subjects,"  as  Bernal 
Diaz  puts  it,  he  suddenly  brought  up  the  subject  of  the 
rebellion  at  Vera  Cruz.  He  said  that  he  did  not  believe 
Montezuma  was  responsible,  but  he  thought  he  ought  to 
make  an  inquiry  into  the  affair  at  once  and  have  the 
guilty  parties  punished. 

Montezuma  declared  he  knew  nothing  of  the  matter. 
He  took  a  seal  ring  from  his  finger,  one  that  was  only 
used  with  messages  of  the  highest  importance,  and  dis- 
patched his  officers  with  it  to  the  coast  to  inquire  into 
the  affair.  This  prompt  obedience  to  Cortes'  wishes  did 
not  soften  the  latter  in  the  least.  He  went  on  to  say 
that  though  he  was  grateful  to  the  Emperor  for  the 
diligence  he  showed  in  punishing  the  guilty  ones,  still 

110 


KIDITAPPING  A  MONARCH 

he,  Cortes,  was  responsible  to  the  Emperor  of  Spain  for 
the  murdered  Spaniards,  and  therefore  he  wished  Mon- 
tezuma to  come  quietly  with  him  to  the  Spanish  quarters 
until  it  was  found  out  who  was  guilty. 

At  this  astounding  proposal,  which  was  duly  trans- 
lated by  Marina,  Montezuma  started,  and  a  look  of 
extreme  astonishment  and  indignation  crossed  his  face. 

"Do  not  be  offended  or  pained,"  said  Cortes.  "You 
will  not  be  a  prisoner  in  my  apartments ;  you  will  be 
quite  free  to  do  as  you  choose.  You  may  have  any  room 
you  like,  your  own  attendants,  and  every  one  will  do 
exactly  as  you  order." 

This  attempt  to  gild  the  cage  he  was  to  be  shut  up 
in  did  not  reassure  the  alarmed  Emperor.  Seeing  this, 
Cortes  added  sternly: 

"If  you  make  any  alarm  or  call  out  to  your  atten- 
dants, you  are  a  dead  man !  I  and  my  officers  will  see 
to  that !" 

Montezuma  was  speechless  with  terror,  at  first,  but 
finally  he  summoned  up  courage.  "He  was  quite  as- 
tonished we  should  presume  to  take  him  prisoner  and 
lead  him  away  out  of  his  palace  against  his  wishes! 
"No  one  had  a  right  to  demand  that  of  him !" 

Cortes  answered  quietly,  and  he  and  Montezuma 
argued  about  the  matter  for  half  an  hour  or  more. 
Finally  Juan  de  Velasquez,  one  of  Cortes'  officers,  ex- 
claimed, 

"What  is  the  use  of  wasting  so  many  words?  He 
111 


MEXICO 

must  either  quietly  follow  us,  or  we  will  cut  him  down 
at  once.  Tell  him  that ;  for  on  this  depends  the  safety 
of  our  lives.     We  must  he  firm,  or  we  are  lost!" 

Montezuma  could  not  understand  the  words,  but 
understood  Velasquez'  scowl  and  loud,  harsh  tone  only 
too  well,  and  asked  what  he  said. 

Marina  interpreted,  adding:  "Great  monarch,  if  I 
may  be  allowed  to  give  you  advice,  make  no  further 
difficulties,  but  follow  them  at  once  to  their  quarters.  I 
am  confident  they  will  pay  you  every  respect,  and  treat 
you  as  becomes  a  powerful  monarch.  But  if  you  con- 
tinue to  refuse,  they  will  cut  you  down  on  the  spot." 

In  vain  Montezuma  asked  if  they  would  not  take  his 
son  and  his  two  daughters  instead.  "What  will  the 
grandees  of  my  empire  say,"  he  asked  weakly,  "if  they 
see  me  taken  prisoner  ?" 

His  feeble  remonstrances  were  of  no  avail.  As  we 
read  the  story,  we  feel  as  if  poor,  bewildered  ^lontezuma 
must  have  indeed  been  hypnotized  by  the  stronger  will 
of  the  desperate  Cortes.  Else  why  should  he  have  let 
himself  bo  kidnapped  in  his  own  castle,  in  the  midst  of 
thousands  of  his  own  people?  Sadly  he  ordered  his 
"rich  and  splendid"  sedan  to  be  brought,  sadly  he 
stepped  into  it,  and  sadly,  with  tears,  even,  his  at- 
tendants obeyed  his  orders  to  bear  him  from  his  castle. 
They  were  told  that  Montezuma  in  going  with  the 
Spaniards  for  a  visit  was  obeying  the  command  of  the 
war-god;  but  they  knew  that  all  was  not  as  it  should  be; 

112 


Montezuma  II  and  the  Temple  of  Human 
Sacrifice. 


KIDXAPPING  A  MONARCH 

and  the  people,  when  they  saw  the  royal  litter  sur- 
rounded by  armed  white  men  in  the  streets,  gathered  in 
crowds  and  made  rebellious  movements.  Montezuma 
quieted  them  and  told  them  to  disperse.  So,  of  his 
own  free  will,  apparently,  he  was  carried  to  the  temple 
he  had  assigned  to  the  invaders. 

As  soon  as  Cortes  had  Montezuma  safely  in  his  power, 
he  took  pains  to  make  the  monarch  feel  the  change  aa 
little  as  possible.  He  was  allowed  to  see  his  nobles 
every  day,  to  govern  as  usual,  to  have  his  own  atten- 
dants, who  carried  on  the  same  pomp  and  ceremonial 
and  served  the  same  luxurious  meals  as  at  his  own  court. 
Bernal  Diaz  says  that  the  Emperor  appeared  happy  and 
contented.  We  can  hardly  believe  it.  He  must  have 
spent  sad  hours  thinking  of  his  former  freedom,  and 
recalling  those  promises  Cortes  had  given  so  many  times 
on  his  way  to  Mexico,  when  he  assured  the  Emperor  by 
his  messages  that  he  was  coming  to  do  him  nothing  but 
good. 

In  about  two  weeks  the  chiefs  of  the  Totonacs,  who 
had  headed  the  outbreak,  were  brought  to  Mexico. 
They  were  loyal  to  Montezuma  and  would  not  acknowl- 
edge that  he  had  had  anything  to  do  with  the  uprising. 
Cortes  sentenced  them  all  to  be  burnt.  While  this  cruel 
execution  was  being  carried  out  in  the  courtyard,  he 
caused  Montezuma  to  be  put  in  irons,  lest  he  should 
make  some  disturbance.  It  was  a  terrible  humiliation 
for  the  forlorn  King,  who  wept  bitterly  as  his  devoted 

113 


MEXICO 

courtiers,  weeping  also,  knelt  and  held  the  chains  so 
that  they  should  not  hurt  him.  Truly,  then,  "the  iron 
entered  into  his  soul."  When  the  executions  were  over, 
Cortes  himself  came  and  took  the  chains  off,  with  the 
hypocritical  assurance  that  "he  loved  him  more  than  a 
brother!"  Montezuma  pretended  to  believe  him. 
N^othing  is  more  pathetic,  under  the  circumstances,  than 
the  way  in  which  Montezuma  strove  to  keep  on  good 
terms  with  the  man  who  was  bullying  him  out  of  his 
kingdom.     Cortes  tells  his  King, 

"So  good  was  my  treatment  of  him  .  .  .  that  I  offered 
him  his  liberty,  praying  him  to  return  to  his  palace; 
but  he  told  me  each  time  that  he  was  contented  here, 
and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  go,  because  nothing  that  he 
wished  was  wanting,  more  than  in  his  own  palace; 
whereas  it  might  happen  that,  if  he  went  back,  the  lords 
of  the  country,  his  vassals,  w^ould  importune  him  to  do 
things,  in  spite  of  himself,  which  would  be  contrary  to 
his  o^vn  wish." 

Indeed,  Montezuma  probably  felt  that  he  had  alien- 
ated himself  forever  from  liis  own  friends  by  his  weak 
and  cowardly  conduct,  and  that  his  only  hope  now  lay 
with  Cortes.  He  continued  making  the  greatest  pos- 
sible efforts  to  appear  happy  in  his  miserable  position. 
He  played  games  with  Cortes  for  golden  counters,  giv- 
ing his  winnings  to  the  Spaniards  in  the  room,  while 
Cortes  gave  his  to  Montezuma's  nephew,  who  was  there, 
and  his  servants.     The  handsome,  agreeable  Alvarado 

114 


KIDNAPPING  A  MONAKCH 

kept  score  for  Cortes,  and  was  apt,  Bernal  Diaz  says, 
to  mark  one  more  than  be  ought.  Montezuma  caught 
him  at  it,  and  mentioned  the  fact  politely ;  at  which  the 
soldiers  in  the  room  burst  out  laughing,  for  Alvarado 
was  notorious  for  cheating. 

Sometimes  Montezuma  took  five  or  six  of  the  Span- 
iards and  went  on  various  pleasure-expeditions  about 
the  vicinity,  to  the  parks  or  other  places  of  amusement, 
and  the  soldiers  always  liked  to  go  on  these  trips 
because  they  were  given  handsome  presents  by  the 
monarch.  He  was,  in  fact,  always  generous  and  win- 
ning, and  the  Spaniards,  both  officers  and  men,  became 
very  fond  of  him. 

The  allied  princes  and  nobles  did  not  take  Monte- 
zuma's imprisonment  as  calmly  as  he.  The  young  King 
of  Texcuco,  Cacamatzin,  showed  his  resentment  by  re- 
fusing to  come  to  the  capital.  He  was  shortly  after 
deposed  through  civil  war  in  his  kingdom,  and  Cortes, 
who  by  that  time  had  taken  over  all  Montezuma's  power, 
appointed  his  brother  Cuicuitzcatzin  in  his  place.  The 
scene  in  which  Montezuma  called  his  lords  together  and 
informed  them  that  henceforth  they  must  render  to 
Cortes  the  tribute  and  service  they  had  formerly  ren- 
dered to  him  was  a  very  affecting  one.  All  shed  tears, 
and  even  the  Spaniards  felt  compassion,  Bemal  Diaz 
says.  Montezuma  excused  his  abdication  by  repeating 
the  old  story  of  Quetzalcoatl. 

Cortes  lost  no  time  in  sending  his  men  to  collect 
115     • 


MEXICO 

tributes  of  gold  from  Montezuma's  princes.  His  depu- 
ties returned  with  bars  and  sheets  of  gold,  jewels  and 
much  beautiful  featherwork.  According  to  the  original 
agreement  drawm  up  between  Cortes  and  the  soldiers, 
the  Emperor  was  entitled  to  one  fifth  of  this,  and 
Cortes  to  a  fifth ;  but  as  there  was  now  much  grumbling 
over  the  division,  Cortes  gave  up  his  share  to  be  divided 
among  the  poorer  soldiers.  Meanness  was  never  one 
of  his  faults.  He  also  sent  Spaniards  with  Indian 
guides  to  hunt  for  gold-mines;  inquired  for  a  better 
harbor  than  the  one  at  Vera  Cruz ;  heard  of  one  on  the 
banks  of  the  Coatzacoalco  River,  and  sent  Juan  Velas- 
quez de  Leon  with  fifty  men  to  make  a  settlement  there. 

Several  months  passed  in  all  these  activities;  and 
still  Cortes  postponed  the  accomplishment  nearest  his 
heart,  the  cleansing  of  the  great  temple,  directly  opposite 
the  Spanish  quarters,  where  they  could  daily  see  human 
sacrifices  offered.  He  was  only  prudent  to  do  so; 
and  if  he  had  considered  only  his  own  safety  and  that 
of  his  men,  he  woukl  have  postponed  it  indefinitely; 
but  he  was  too  much  of  a  missionary  for  that.  One 
day,  after  he  had  been  in  ]\Iexico  about  five  months,  he 
could  no  longer  endure  the  thought  of  the  human  sacri- 
fices still  being  offered.  For  the  first  time  since  he 
had  been  there  with  Montezuma  he  paid  a  visit  to  the 
temple,  with  ten  of  his  men. 

"O  God,  why  dost  Thou  permit  the  devil  to  be  so 
honored  in  this  land !"  he  exclaimed,  when  he  saw  again 

116 


KIDA^APPING  A  MONAKCH 

the  hideous,  bejeweled  idols  and  the  tokens  of  sacri- 
fice. He  called  the  priests  together  and  gave  them  a 
sermon  on  the  Christian  religion.  The  priests  defended 
their  own,  when  Cortes  became  so  enraged  that  he  began 
smashing  the  idols  right  and  left,  'Svith  such  magnifi- 
cent fury  that  Andrea  de  Tapia  afterwards  declared 
that  he  seemed  like  a  supernatural  being."  After  he 
had  made  a  thorough  job  of  it,  in  spite  of  the  frantic 
efforts  of  the  priests  and  Montezuma  himself,  who 
hastened  to  the  spot  to  stop  him,  he  had  the  temple 
cleansed  and  freshly  plastered  and  two  Christian  altars 
set  up,  one  to  the  Virgin  and  one  to  St.  Christopher. 

An  odd  incident  occurred  soon  after  the  establish- 
ment of  the  new  religion.  Rain  was  much  needed,  and 
the  Indians,  who  had  lost  their  own  gods,  asked  the 
Christian  priests  to  pray  to  their  God  for  it.  Cortes 
took  it  upon  himself  to  promise  magnificently  that  their 
prayer  should  be  answered.  Mass  was  said,  and  a  re- 
ligious procession,  such  as  is  often  seen  in  Roman 
Catholic  countries,  set  out  through  the  streets,  under  a 
cloudless  sky.  They  had  not  gone  far  when  a  perfect 
downpour  of  rain  occurred,  and  the  streets  were  flooded 
ankle  deep ! 

As  the  Spaniards  came  to  be  better  known,  however, 
they  began  to  lose  in  the  public  estimation.  It  became 
very  plain  that  they  were  not  gods,  but  human  beings 
like  the  natives  themselves,  only  a  little  better  equipped, 
with  their  steel  swords,  muskets  and  cannon.     Even  the 

117 


MEXICO 

dreaded  pawing,  charging  horses  were  seen  to  be  merely 
well-trained  and  extremely  docile  animals.  Added  to 
this  lessened  respect  with  which  the  Indians  had  come 
to  regard  the  strangers  came  the  news  of  their  desecra- 
tion of  the  temple.  From  that  moment  the  storm- 
cloud  began  to  gather  over  the  Spanish  heads.  Priests 
and  Indian  officials  came  and  went  on  secret  errands  to 
Montezuma.     Marina  warned  Cortes  that  the  Mexicans 

were  about  to  attack  the  Tlascallan  allies ;  and  such  was 

*.  .  . 

the  uneasiness  in  the  Spanish  camp  that  the  soldiers 

never  took  off  their  armor  day  and  night. 

One  day  Montezuma,  still  faithful  to  his  captors,  sent 
for  Cortes  and  the  officers  and  told  them  that  the  gods 
had  counseled  that  the  Spaniards  must  either  be  put 
to  death  or  driven  away.  He  earnestly  warned  them  to 
leave  the  city  before  it  was  too  late.  Cortes  was  per- 
plexed. His  forces  were  divided:  Velasquez  de  Leon 
was  away  on  the  Coatzacoalco  River  with  more  than  a 
hundred  men;  Rodrigo  Rangel  with  others  was  laying 
out  a  plantation  for  the  Spanish  king  near  Chinantla, 
and  several  small  parties  of  Spaniards  were  looking  for 
gold  mines  throughout  the  provinces.  He  did  not  wish 
to  leave  without  these  men,  so  he  sought  to  gain  time 
by  telling  Montezuma  that  he  could  not  leave  the  coun- 
try without  building  ships,  and  asked  him  to  furnish 
workmen  to  go  with  the  Spaniards  to  build  them  at  Vera 
Cruz.  Montezuma  agreed,  and  at  once  sent  carpenters 
to  the  coast. 

118 


KIDNAPPING  A  MONARCH 

Only  a  week  after  they  had  gone,  several  Spanish 
ships  were  sighted  from  Vera  Cruz  by  Sandoval,  who 
had  taken  Juan  de  Esealante's  place  there,  and  by  the 
Indian  coast  governors,  who  at  once  sent  word  of  the 
event  by  picture-writings  to  Montezuma.  Por  the  time, 
Cortes  was  ignorant  of  this.  He  only  noticed  that 
Montezuma  seemed  unusually  cheerful;  and  he  little 
guessed  that  it  was  because  the  imprisoned  Eniperor  had 
learned  of  newcomers  who  were  apparently  enemies  of 
Cortes. 

In  a  few  days,  Montezuma  decided  to  tell  Cortes  of 
the  arrival  of  the  ships,  and  then  all  was  rejoicing  in 
the  Spanish  camps,  for  they  thought  at  first  they  were 
friendly  and  had  come  to  help  them.  But  doubt  came 
with  second  thought.  They  remembered  Velasquez* 
hostility,  and  wondered  if  these  ships  might  not  be 
sent  by  him. 

Let  us  go  back  for  a  while  to  this  same  touchy  Velas- 
quez, who  you  may  be  sure  had  been  far  from  pleased 
when  he  heard  of  the  way  Cortes  had  cleverly  cast  off 
his  authority  by  having  himself  elected  by  the  soldiers 
as  the  representative  of  the  King  direct.  He  had 
lodged  complaints  against  Cortes  with  the  colonial  au- 
thorities in  Spain,  and  managed  to  make  things  very 
unpleasant  for  the  agents,  Puertocarrere  and  Montejo, 
whom  Cortes  had  sent  to  Spain  with  the  letters  and 
treasure  for  the  King.  These,  however,  managed  at  last 
to  gain  an  audience  with  King  Charles.     The  gold  and 

119 


MEXICO 

other  rich  gifts  made  a  good  impression,  but  the  King 
had  been  prejudiced  by  the  complaints  against  Cortes  he 
had  heard,  and  was  moreover  much  preoccupied  with 
his  foreigTi  affairs  (he  was  getting  himself  made  Em- 
peror of  Germany),  so  he  did  not  take  any  steps  to  re- 
ward the  messengers  or  to  help  Cortes.  Meanwhile 
Velasquez  in  Cuba  decided  to  send  an  expedition  to 
capture  Cortes  and  bring  him  back  to  Cuba.  He  chose 
as  commander  for  it  Panfilo  _de_ j^aryaez.  Narvaez 
started  off  with  eighteen  ships  and  about  nine  hundred 
men,  including  eighty  horsemen.  These  were  the  ships 
Sandoval  had  seen.  I^arvaez  sent  some  priests  ashore 
with  a  message  to  Sandoval  to  cast  off  his  allegiance  to 
Cortes,  the  traitor. 

Sandoval  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  mes- 
sengers. 

"Sir  priests,  you  choose  your  words  badly,  speaking 
of  traitors;  all  of  us  here  are  better  servants  of  his 
Majesty  than  are  Diego  Velasquez  and  this  man,  your 
captain,"  he  told  them.  When  the  priests  replied 
sharply,  he  grew  so  enraged  that  he  packed  them  on  the 
backs  of  Indians  and  ordered  them  carried  to  Cortes  in 
Mexico  without  delay !  He  sent  also  a  letter  explaining 
the  situation. 

When  the  priests  thus  ignominiously  arrived  before 
Cortes,  the  latter  released  them  at  once  and  treated 
them  so  kindly  that  they  were  immediately  won  over  to 
his  side.     They  told  him  everything  about  Narvaez  and 

120 


KIDNAPPING  A  MONAECH 

how  he  was  seeking  to  prejudice  against  Cortes  not  only 
the  Spaniards  but  the  coast  natives.  Cortes  saw  that 
the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  fight.  The  country  was  too 
small  for  both  him  and  Narvaez.  He  took  all  the  men 
now  with  him  except  eighty  whom  he  left  with  the 
blond,  handsome  Pedro  de  Alvarado  to  guard  Monte- 
zuma, the  treasure  and  the  Spanish  quarters.  Those 
with  him  numbered  about  ninety-two.  On  the  way 
down  to  the  coast  he  received  a  few  reinforcements  from 
parties  whom  he  had  sent  out  to  explore  the  country, 
also  two  hundred  |Indians  with  long,  copper-tipped 
lances  from  Chinantla,  and  even  some  of  Narvaez'  own 
men  whom  he  met  and  won  over  on  the  way. 

Cortes'  allies,  the  Tlascallans,  refused  to  join  him. 
They  would  fight  with  him  against  Indians,  but  not 
against  white  men  with  horses  and  cannon. 

Not  far  from  the  coast  Cortes  drew  up  his  men  by  the 
side  of  a  river  and  made  them  one  of  his  stirring 
speeches.  He  reminded  them  of  all  they  had  suffered  to 
win  these  lands  for  his  Majesty,  and  now,  he  said, 
"Panfilo  Nai*vaez  comes  tearing  along  like  a  mad  dog, 
to  destroy  us  all !  .  .  .  Up  to  this  moment  we  bave 
fought  to  defend  our  lives,  now  we  shall  fight  valiantly 
for  our  lives  and  honor !" 

Plans  for  the  night  attack  on  Cempoalla,  where  Nar- 
vaez  now  had  his  quarters,  were  carefully  laid,  and  each 
man  knew  what  he  had  to  do.  Some  were  to  capture 
Narvaez'  cannon ;  among  these  was  one  Pizarro,  "who  at 

121 


MEXICO 

that  time  was  a  daring  young  fellow,"  Bernal  Diaz  tells 
us,  ''but  in  those  days  as  little  known  to  the  world  as 
"■^  I  Peru  itself."     Sandoval  with  some  of  the  men  was  to 
\  arrest  ISTarvaez.     Even  Marina  had  her  part,  which  was 
*  to  guard  the  horses  and  baggage  left  behind  at  the  brook, 
with  the  help  only  of  a  small  page. 

It  was  a  hot,  rainy  night,  black  as  pitch.  They  had 
first  to  cross  the  deep,  swollen  stream,  a  dangerous  mat- 
ter, in  which  many  of  the  men  were  nearly  drowned, 
but  they  accomplished  it  successfully.  On  the  other 
side  they  ran  across  two  of  I^arvaez'  scouts,  captured 
one,  but  the  other  escaped  to  give  the  alarm.  Cortes 
and  his  men  therefore  pushed  forward  even  faster  to 
surprise  Narvaez  before  the  scout  reached  him.  Yet  in 
spite  of  their  haste  they  found  time  to  dismount  and 
recite  prayers  with  their  priest.  Father  Bartolome. 
Then  they  ran  on.  Faint  lights  came  from  a  building 
ahead  of  them,  the  temple  where  I^arvaez'  men  had  their 
quarters.  The  sentinels  posted  to  guard  it  fled  before 
the  onrush  of  men  in  the  darkness.  Yells  and  cries 
broke  the  stillness.  ISTarvaez  and  his  men  awoke  from 
their  sleep  to  find  Cortes'  soldiers  swarming  up  the 
temple  steps.  The  sparks  from  their  matchlocks 
mingled  with  the  lights  of  countless  fireflies,  and  the 
attacked  camp  thought  the  enemy  much  more  numerous 
than  they  were.  To  add  to  their  confusion,  one  of 
Cortes'  soldiers  threw  a  lighted  brand  upon  the  thatched 
roof  of  the  temple,  and  soon  the  straw  was  in  a  blaze. 

122 


KIDNAPPING  A  MONARCH 

Cortes  rode  here  and  there  directing  operations,  in  full 
armor,  and  dripping  with  perspiration. 

Soon  the  cry  arose,  ''Victory!  victory!  Narvaez  is 
fallen !     Long  live  the  Emperor  and  General  Cortes !'' 

Narvaez  was  not  dead,  but  had  been  captured  and  had 
lost  an  eye  in  the  struggle.  When  his  wound  had  been 
dressed  by  a  surgeon  and  he  was  brought  before  Cortes, 
he  said,  in  his  arrogant  way, 

"You  have  much  reason,  Senor  Cortes,  to  thank  For- 
tune for  having  given  you  such  an  easy  victory,  and 
placed  me  in  your  power." 

"The  least  important  deed  that  I  have  accomplished 
in  this  country,  was  to  capture  you !"  was  Cortes'  biting 
answer. 

He  had  certainly  cause  to  feel  jubilant,  however,  for 
now  he  had  a  new  fleet,  a  new  army  and  fresh  stores  of 
munitions  to  carry  out  his  plans.  Narvaez'  soldiers 
went  over  to  him  without  any  trouble,  as  he  was  a  much 
more  popular  commander  than  their  recent  master,  and 
they  hoped  that  they  too  would  gain  golden  collars  like 
the  ones  his  men  were  now  wearing.  The  Cempoalla 
Indians  were  really  the  worst  sufferers  from  the  con- 
flict. The  fat  chief  had  been  wounded  during  the  as- 
sault of  the  temple,  the  greater  part  of  their  town  had 
been  destroyed,  and  they  were  dying  like  flies  from  the 
small-pox,  which  had  its  first  start  in  Mexico  from  a 
Cuban  negro  with  Narvaez  who  was  suffering  from  the 
disease. 

123 


MEXICO    • 

But  the  content  of  the  Spaniards  did  not  last  long. 
"Trouble  and  sorrow  followed  peace  and  joy,"  as  Bernal 
Diaz  puts  it.  N^ews  came  from  Mexico  that  the  Mexi- 
cans had  risen  as  one  man  and  were  besieging  Alvarado's 
garrison  in  their  quarters ! 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

Cortes,  with  all  his  men,  old  and  new,  at  once  began 
the  march  all  the  long  way  over  the  mountains  back  to 
the  capital.  The  Tlascallans  were  friendly  as  before, 
but  could  give  them  little  news  of  the  cause  of  the 
trouble  in  Mexico.  The  Spaniards  hastened  on,  enter- 
ing the  valley  by  the  northern  route  which  led  through 
the  rival  town  of  Texcuco.  As  they  descended  the 
mountains  into  the  valley,  they  noticed  that  the  natives 
were  cold  and  unfriendly.  Still  greater  was  the  change 
when  at  last,  with  anxious  hearts,  they  hurried  over  the 
causeway  into  the  Aztec  city.  No  welcoming  parties 
met  them,  as  before;  they  marched  through  streets  as 
silent  and  deserted  as  those  of  the  dead.  But  they 
reached  safely  the  palace  of  Axayacatl  where  the  Span- 
ish had  their  quarters,  the  great  gates  were  thrown 
eagerly  open  to  receive  them,  and  their  friends  inside 
embraced  them  as  their  deliverers.  Montezuma,  also, 
came  to  meet  Cortes  with  sad  and  anxious  face ;  but  the 
Spanish  general  repulsed  him  coldly.     Most  unjustly, 

125 


MEXICO 

he  blamed  him  for  the  disturbance;  but  soon  he  found 
that  the  fault  had  been  all  Alvarado's. 

That  blond  and  beautiful  being,  the  "Sun,"  had  or- 
dered his  soldiers  to  fall  upon  a  great  number  of 
Mexicans  as  they  were  innocently  celebrating  the  feast 
of  May  in  a  temple  courtyard  by  his  own  permission, 
and  slaughter  them  right  and  left.  The  flower  of  the 
Aztec  nobility  fell  that  cruel  day  in  the  courtyard 
which  was  turned  into  a  shambles.  Alvarado  had  no 
other  excuse  than  a  rumor  he  claimed  to  have  heard 
that  the  Mexicans  were  planning  a  revolt. 

The  Aztecs  had  risen  with  a  fury  and  a  determina- 
tion of  which  the  Spaniards  had  never  believed  them 
capable.  The  whole  city  besieged  the  Spanish  quarters 
in  a  howling,  fighting  mob.  They  might  have  suc- 
ceeded in  taking  the  place  by  storm,  if  Montezuma  had 
not  mounted  the  battlements  and  begged  them  to  stop, 
for  the  sake  of  his  own  safety.  At  that  they  quieted 
somewhat,  but  only  to  change  their  attack  into  a  siege. 
They  surrounded  the  palace,  and  the  Spaniards  could 
neither  go  out  nor  could  food  and  water  be  brought  to 
them.  This  was  the  state  of  affairs  when  Cortes  and 
his  men  reached  there. 

When  Cortes  heard  of  Alvarado's  appalling  deed 
from  his  own  lips,  his  face  grew  dark  with  wrath,  and 
he  exclaimed, 

"You  have  done  badly.  You  have  been  false  to  your 
trust.     Your  conduct  has  been  that  of  a  madman!" 

126 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

Still,  even  he  did  not  think  that  the  Mexicans  were 
as  determined  as  they  were.  But  as  day  after  day 
passed,  and  the  army  outside  ever  increased,  the  Span- 
iards saw  that  their  condition  was  desperate.  They 
learned  that  the  drawbridges  were  raised,  cutting  off 
their  retreat  from  the  city,  and  wherever  they  looked 
outside  their  walls  they  saw  masses  of  warriors,  in  the 
streets,  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  thronging  the  temples. 
From  these  high  positions,  arrows,  stones  and  firebrands 
fell  continuously  into  the  Spanish  quarters. 

The  Spanish  used  their  guns  and  cannon  for  firing 
from  behind  their  walls;  but  though  they  mowed  the 
Indians  down  in  great  numbers,  still  more  came  up  to 
take  their  places.  The  Aztecs  felt  the  loss  of  hundreds 
of  their  number  less  than  the  Spaniards  that  of  one  man. 
Cortes  led  a  daring  sortie  outside  the  palace  walls.  The 
cavalry  cut  down  the  natives,  while  the  infantry  fol- 
lowed to  complete  the  work;  the  Aztecs  were  not  dis- 
couraged. Fresh  battalions  swarmed  in  from  all  the 
side  streets,  men  in  canoes  on  the  canals  dragged  the 
Spaniards  into  the  water,  warriors  on  the  house-tops 
hurled  great  stones  upon  them.  The  Spaniards  at- 
tempted to  set  fire  to  these  buildings,  but  the  fire  could 
not  spread  on  account  of  the  canals  between.  At  last 
the  Spaniards  retreated.  They  had  been  victorious  and 
driven  back  the  enemy  at  every  point,  but  what  did  that 
matter,  since  the  enemy  did  not  know  when  they  were 
beaten  ? 

127 


MEXICO 

The  Aztecs,  following  their  custom,  did  not  attack  at 
night,  but  all  night  long  their  shrill  cries  rang  upon  the 
air  just  outside  the  Spanish  walls. 

"The  gods  have  delivered  you  at  last  into  our  hands," 
they  cried.  "Our  war-god  is  demanding  his  victims. 
The  stone  of  sacrifice  is  ready !  The  knives  are  sharp- 
ened. And  the  cages  are  waiting  for  the  lean  Tlascal- 
lans,  who  must  be  fattened  for  the  festival!" 

Cortes  determined  to  ask  Montezuma  to  speak  to  his 
people  and  ask  them  to  stop.  Montezuma  was  very 
unwilling. 

"Why  does  Malinche  now  turn  to  me,  to  me  who  am 
tired  of  life  and  could  wish  never  again  to  hear  his 
name  mentioned,  for  it  is  he  who  has  plunged  me  into 
all  this  misery  ?"  he  inquired  bitterly.  "I  will  neither 
see  nor  hear  anything  more  of  this  man.  I  put  no 
longer  any  faith  in  his  deceitful  words,  his  promises 
and  his  lies !"     Yet  he  finally  did  as  Cortes  asked. 

Guarded  by  Spaniards,  and  wearing  his  imperial 
mantle  of  white  and  blue,  clasped  by  a  great  green  stone 
like  an  emerald,  and  his  golden  sandals  and  tiara,  the 
unhappy  monarch  mounted  to  the  roof  of  his  father's 
palace,  now  the  Spanish  quarters,  from  which  he  could 
easily  be  seen  and  heard  by  the  besieging  mob.  As  soon 
as  the  Mexicans  saw  him  they  stopped  fighting  and 
fell  on  the  groimd  in  their  old-time  humility.  All 
waited  in  silence  for  him  to  speak. 

They  were  hoping  for  words  befitting  their  first  war- 
128 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

chief,  but  they  were  disappointed.  Montezuma  told 
them  again  the  unlikely  story  that  he  had  taken  up  his 
abode  with  the  Spaniards  of  his  own  free  will.  He 
begged  them  to  lay  down  their  arms  and  let  the  Span- 
iards depart. 

Yells  and  gToans  of  derision  went  up  from  the  popu- 
lace. 

"Base  Aztec,  woman,  coward !"  they  shouted.  "You 
are  a  woman-slave  to  the  Spaniards,  fit  only  to  weave 
and  spin!"  A  shower  of  missiles  emphasized  their 
words.  One  stone  hit  Montezuma  on  the  head;  two 
others  also  struck  him.  He  fell  unconscious  on  the 
ground  and  the  Spaniards  carried  him  below.  The 
Mexicans,  horrified  at  their  own  act,  cried  dismally  and 
dispersed.  For  the  first  time  since  the  siege  the  streets 
were  empty. 

When  Montezuma  came  to  himself,  nothing  could 
console  him.  He  knew  himself  the  despised  of  his 
people,  and  he  no  longer  wished  to  live.  His  wounds 
were  not  serious,  and  the  Spaniards  did  their  best  to 
take  care  of  him;  but  he  tore  away  all  his  bandages, 
refused  food  and  drink,  and  a  few  days  later  died  of  a 
broken  heart!  To  the  last  he  refused  the  religion  of 
the  Christians.  ''I  have  but  a  few  moments  to  live,"  he 
said,  when  Father  Olmedo  sought  to  convert  him  on  his 
death-bed,  "and  I  will  not  at  this  hour  desert  the  faith 
of  my  fathers!"  But  he  died,  apparently,  without 
bitterness  towards  the  Spaniards,  commending  to  Cortes 

129 


MEXICO 

the  care  of  his  two  daughters,  and  asking  that  they 
should  have  a  part  of  his  inheritance. 

"Your  lord  will  do  this,"  he  said,  "if  it  were  only 
for  the  friendly  offices  I  have  rendered  the  Spaniards, 
and  for  the  love  I  have  shown  them, — though  it  has 
brought  me  to  this  condition !  But  for  this  I  bear  them 
no  ill-will." 

"The  tidings  of  his  death  were  received  with  real 
grief  by  every  cavalier  and  soldier  in  the  army  who  haS 
access  to  his  person,"  says  Bernal  Diaz,  "for  we  all  loved 
him  as  a  father, — and  no  wonder,  seeing  how  good  he 
was  to  us." 

±*oor  Montezuma,  victim  of  his  own  superstitious 
weakness  and  of  a  strange  and  dark  destiny !  With  him 
perished  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  Mexican  kings. 
He  had  lived  "to  see  his  empire  melt  away  like  the 
winter's  wreath ;  to  see  a  strange  race  drop,  as  it  were, 
from  the  clouds  on  his  land" ;  and  death  was  the  greatest 
boon  that  had  happened  to  him  since  first  the  iron  hoofs 
of  the  Spanish  horses  rang  in  the  streets  of  his  capital. 
It  is  said  that  the  Spaniards  gave  his  body  to  the 
Aztecs,  who  buried  it  with  all  respect  at  Chapultepec; 
but  another  tradition  has  it  that  his  corpse  was  dashed 
to  pieces  by  his  enraged  people. 

The  disgrace  and  death  of  Montezuma  destroyed  the 
last  hope  of  the  Spanish  that  the  Mexicans  might  relent. 
From  now  on,  all  depended  upon  their  own  desperate 
valor.     It  became  necessary  that  they  should  stop  some- 

130 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

how  the  shower  of  missiles  and  fire-brands  which 
rained  upon  them  from  the  roof  of  the  great  temple 
which  stood  directly  opposite  their  quarters.  Here 
were  intrenched  a  body  of  five  or  six  hundred  Mexican 
warriors,  many  of  them  nobles  of  the  highest  rank. 
After  several  unsuccessful  attempts  which  had  taken 
place  without  him,  Cortes  himself  led  a  storming  party. 
Step  by  step  they  fought  their  way  through  the  Mex- 
ican crowds,  across  the  temple  courtyard  slippery  with 
blood,  and  began  the  ascent  of  the  many  steps.  The 
warriors  upon  the  roof  hurled  great  stones  and  masses 
of  burning  wood  upon  them.  Many  Spaniards  fell, 
but  the  rest  pressed  on  and  reached  the  top.  There, 
on  the  platform  sacred  to  the  war-god,  the  white-faced 
warriors  from  the  East  and  the  coppery-skinned  ones 
of  the  West  engaged  in  terrible  combat.  There  was  no 
railing  to  this  dizzy  platform,  and  hundreds,  in  the 
heat  of  fighting,  sometimes  opposing  warriors  locked  in 
each  other's  arms,  fell  from  its  sides  and  were  dashed 
to  pieces  on  the  stones  of  the  courtyard  below.  Cortes 
himself,  it  is  said,  nearly  perished  in  this  way.  Two 
Indians  seized  hold  of  him  and  dragged  him  to  the 
edge,  but  he  tore  himself  away  from  their  grasp  and 
sent  one  of  them  flying  in  his  stead  over  the  edge. 

The  battle  lasted  for  three  hours,  but  at  the  end  of 
that  time  not  one  of  the  Aztec  warriors  was  left  alive 
to  tell  the  story  of  their  gallant  struggle!  The  Span- 
iards had  paid  for  their  victory  dearly,  for  forty-five 

131 


MEXICO 

of  their  best  men  had  perished.  Still,  they  had  the 
satisfaction  of  tearing  the  hideous  statue  of  the  war- 
god,  surrounded  by  smoking  human  hearts,  out  of  its 
sanctuary,  and  hurling  it  down  the  steps  to  destruc- 
tion; and  they  set  fire  to  the  cursed  temple,  with  its 
atmosphere  of  blood  and  woe. 

That  night  they  made  another  sortie  and  burned  three 
hundred  houses.  Cortes  hoped  now  that  the  Aztecs 
would  listen  to  proposals  of  peace,  but  they  were  un- 
shakable. They  did  not  care,  they  told  him  through 
Marina,  if  a  thousand  Mexicans  were  killed,  as  long 
as  they  had  the  blood  of  a  single  white  man  in  re- 
venge. 

"Our  numbers  are  scarcely  diminished  by  our  losses. 
Yours,  on  the  contrary,  are  lessening  every  hour.  You 
are  perishing  from  hunger  and  sickness.  Your  pro- 
visions and  water  are  failing.  You  must  soon  fall  into 
our  hands.  The  bridges  are  hroheii  down,  and  you 
cannot  escape!" 

The  words  fell  like  the  clap  of  doom  on  the  Span- 
iards' ears.  There  was  dismay  in  the  camp.  The 
former  followers  of  Narvaez  cursed  the  day  that  they 
had  ever  joined  Cortes;  but  his  own  veterans  kept 
steady  heads  and  looked  to  him  to  lead  them  out  of  their 
danger.  They  and  he  decided  that  their  only  hope  lay 
in  cutting  their  way  out  of  the  city.  On  the  night  of 
the  thirtieth  of  June,  1520,  a  little  before  midnight, 
everything   was   ready   for   the   attempt.     A   portable 

132 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

bridge  had  been  made,  by  which  they  hoped  to  cross 
the  three  ditches  of  the  Tlacopan  causeway.  The  gold 
and  treasure  of  the  palace  was  divided  among  the  men, 
but  Cortes  cautioned  them  not  to  take  enough  to  bur- 
den them  in  their  flight.  Marina  was  put  in  charge 
of  the  faithful  Tlascallan  allies. 

Jt  was  a  dark,  drizzling  night.  Stealthily  the  Span- 
iards crept  out  of  their  courtyard  and  into  the  city. 
The  streets  were  quiet  and  deserted,  the  populace  was 
apparently  asleep.  They  had  almost  reached  the 
causeway,  when  suddenly  a  woman's  shriek  rang  out 
upon  the  still  air.  In  a  moment  the  alarm  was  taken 
up.  The  serpent-skin  drum  watched  over  by  some 
lonely  priest  at  the  otherwise  deserted  temple  boomed 
in  hideous  warning,  and  Mexican  warriors  from  all 
sides,  springing  to  arms,  instantly  responded  with  shrill 
cries. 

Cutting  the  causeway  the  Spaniards  proposed  to 
cross  were  three  wide  ditches.  To  surmount  these  the 
portable  bridge  had  been  prepared.  Sandoval  with  a 
number  of  foot-soldiers  was  in  the  van.  The  bridge 
was  put  in  place  across  the  first  ditch.  The  Spaniards 
began  to  cross.  But  before  many  had  passed  over  In- 
dian arrows  whizzed  in  showers  about  their  heads  and 
the  Aztecs,  springing  from  multitudes  of  canoes  which 
had  appeared  as  if  by  magic  upon  the  waters,  climbed 
upon  the  causeway  and  pulled  the  Spaniards  down. 
The  front  ranks  of  the  Spaniards  cut  through  the  enemy 

133 


MEXICO 

and  passed  on,  while  the  rest  followed  in  a  slow  pro- 
cession across  the  narrow  bridge;  biit  soon  the  fore- 
most came  to  the  second  canal,  which  they  could  not 
pass,  and  meanwhile  they  were  set  upon  furiously  by 
the  Indians.  They  sent  to  the  rear  for  the  portable 
bridge;  but,  alas,  that  had  been  so  wedged  into  the 
ground  by  the  heavy  weight  of  the  men  and  the  artil- 
lery crossing  over  it  that  it  could  not  be  moved.  The 
Spaniards  were  trapped !  An  impassable  canal  in 
front  of  them,  the  enemy  on  their  sides  and  rear.  All 
order  was  lost.  The  causeway  became  the  scene  of  a 
nightmarish  struggle,  those  in  front  plunging  desper- 
ately into  the  dark  waters  of  the  canal,  those  behind 
pressing  upon  their  slowly-moving  comrades  and  tram- 
pling them  under  foot  until  the  way  was  still  further 
choked  with  heaps  of  bodies.  All  about,  hosts  of  yell- 
ing, triumphant  Aztecs,  flinging  stones  and  arrows  in- 
cessantly, attacking  with  war-clubs,  and,  whenever  pos- 
sible, dragging  the  Christians  down  into  the  water  and 
taking  them  away  in  canoes  for  the  horrible  sacrifice. 
Hideous  was  the  clamor  which  arose  upon  the  still 
night  air,  the  groans  and  shrieks  of  the  Spaniards,  the 
wild  war-cries  of  the  Indians,  tlic  neighing  of  the  ter- 
rified horses,  and  over  all,  the  portentous  booming  of 
the  great  war-drum  of  the  temple. 

Finally,  the  second  ditch  became  choked  up  by  the 
wreck  of  ammunition  wagons,  guns,  baggage,  and  dead 
bodies  of  men,  and  over  this  horrible  mixture  the  rest 

134 


THE  REVOLT  OF  THE  AZTECS 

of  the  army  crossed.  But  there  was  still  the  third 
opening,  a  wide  and  deep  one,  to  traverse.  Desper- 
ately the  cavaliers  plunged  in,  on  horseback,  and  the 
infantry  followed  as  best  they  could,  swimming  or 
clinging  to  the  horses'  tails.  Many  perished  here  be- 
cause they  were  overweighted  with  the  gold  they  had 
greedily  gathered  up,  heedless  of  Cortes'  warning.  A 
number  of  them  gained  the  shore,  among  them  Cortes, 
who  had  been  doing  his  best  to  encourage  the  others 
and  bring  order  out  of  the  confusion.  But  no  sooner 
did  he  reach  the  further  shore  than  he  heard  that  the 
rearguard  was  in  great  danger,  and  he  with  Sandoval 
and  other  gallant  officers  hurried  back  to  help  them, 
swimming  the  ditches  and  working  their  way  through 
the  frantic  crowd  as  best  they  might.  Dawn  found 
Alvarado,  unhorsed,  with  a  few  of  his  followers  sur- 
rounded by  countless  numbers  of  Indians,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  ditch.  His  plight  seemed  hopeless,  since 
to  plunge  into  the  waters  thronged  with  enemy  canoes 
was  certain  death;  but  suddenly  the  ''Sun,"  with  the 
courage  of  despair,  thrust  his  long  lance  into  the  ground 
and  vaulted  over  the  tremendous  chasm  safely. 

Indians  and  Christians  alike  gasped. 

"This  is  truly  Tonatiuh,  the  child  of  the  Sun," 
exclaimed  the  Aztecs. 

To  this  day  the  place  of  Alvarado's  Leap,  now  a 
part  of  a  solid  street,  is  pointed  out  to  strangers  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Mexico. 

135 


MEXICO 

The  survivors,  including  Cortes,  straggled  along  the 
road  to  the  little  village  of  Popotla.  There  Cortes 
rested  on  the  steps  of  a  temple  and,  as  he  surveyed  the 
forlorn  remnant  of  his  troops,  gave  way  and  wept  bit- 
terly. In  that  "Noche  Triste,"  the  "Sad  Night,"  as 
it  is  still  called,  the  Spaniards  had  lost  probably  about 
four  hundred  and  fifty  of  their  men,  twenty-six  horses 
and  about  four  thousand  of  the  Indian  allies.  The 
tree  under  w^hich  Cortes  wept  still  grows  out  in  the 
suburb  of  Popotla. 


CHAPTER  XI 
THE  AZTEC  GODS  DEPAET  FOEEVER 

As  the  dawn  came,  the  broken  hut  not  broken-spir- 
ited little  army,  Cortes  at  the  head,  pressed  forward 
to  Otoncalpolco.  They  drove  out  the  natives  who  were 
guarding  the  temple  there,  and  entered  its  shelter  to 
rest  and  dress  their  wounds.  The  chivalrous  San- 
doval, the  reckless  Alvarado,  and  faithful  Marina,  had 
somehow  miraculously  survived  the  misfortunes  of  the 
day.     Montezuma's  two  sons  had  been  killed. 

For  several  days  and  nights  Cortes  with  his  little 
army  advanced  along  a  strange  road  north  of  the  cap- 
ital, harassed  by  hostile  natives,  who  set  upon  them 
from  the  defiles  with  stones,  arrows  and  lances.  One 
morning  they  came  suddenly  upon  an  open  plain,  where 
a  vast  army  lay  in  wait  for  them.  Jt  was  the  valley 
of  Otumba,  and  the  army  had  been  sent  by  Cuitlahua, 
Montezuma's  brother,  now  in  charge  of  the  City  of 
Mexico,  who  had  been  kept  informed  of  Cortes'  move- 
ments. Their  numbers  were  so  many  that  it  seemed 
hopeless  for  the  Spaniards  to  attack  them,  especially 
in  their  wounded  and  exhausted  condition,  but  the  little 

137 


MEXICO 

band  hesitated  only  a  few  minutes,  and  at  the  word 
of  command  from  Cortes  dashed  forward,  the  cavalry 
in  the  lead,  to  cut  a  way  through  the  midst  of  the  vast 
crowd.  Never  apparently  was  there  a  more  hopeless 
undertaking;  for  hours  the  Spaniards  fought  as  des- 
perately as  if  against  waves  of  the  sea,  for  no  matter 
how  many  natives  were  struck  down,  countless  more 
pressed  forward.  The  leaders,  Cortes,  Oli,  Alvarado, 
and  Sandoval,  were  everywhere,  keeping  up  the  hearts 
of  their  men.  ''It  was  above  all  glorious  to  hear  the 
brave  and  spirited  Sandoval  cry  out,  'On,  my  fellow- 
soldiers,  this  day  the  victory  must  be  ours !  Our  trust 
is  in  God!  We  shall  not  lose  our  lives  here,  for  God 
has  destined  us  for  better  things!'  "  Bernal  Diaz  tells 
us. 

At  last  the  chief  of  the  army  was  seen,  clothed  in 
armor  shining  with  gold,  with  white  head  plumes,  bear- 
ing the  banner  of  Tenochtitlan,  and  guarded  by  the 
most  aristocratic  and  richly  dressed  of  the  young  war- 
riors. With  one  of  his  sudden  inspirations,  Cortes 
saw  in  him  their  one  chance  of  success.  Lance  in  hand, 
he  urged  forward  his  charger  and  making  a  rush,  struck 
him  off  his  litter,  and  caused  him  to  drop  his  ban- 
ner, while  the  other  Spanish  officers  took  care  of  the 
attendants.  One  of  the  Spaniards  seized  the  banner 
and  handed  it  to  Cortes.  From  that  moment  the  bat- 
tle was  won,  since  the  Mexicans,  seeing  their  chief 
overthrovni  as  by  a  miracle,  and  their  banner  in  the 

138 


THE  AZTEC  GODS  DEPAET  FOREVER 

hands  of  Cortes,  thought  the  enemy  indeed  invincible, 
and  fled.  This  battle  of  Otumba,  which  took  place  on 
the  eighth  of  Julj,-iS20,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
in  all  history. 

Much  encouraged,  the  Spaniards  pressed  on  to  Tlas- 
calla,  not  far  away,  and  found  the  Tlascallans  still 
faithful  friends.  General  Xicotencatl,  indeed,  wished 
to  destroy  the  Spaniards,  but  the  old  blind  chief,  his 
father,  blind  in  more  ways  than  one,  opposed  him  bit- 
terly for  this  desire  and  sent  him  out  of  the  council. 
The  Spaniards  rested  in  Tlascalla  and  recovered  from 
their  wounds,  and'^presently  there  came  to  Cortes  am- 
bassadors from  Ixtlilxochitl,  the  King  of  Texcuco,  of- 
fering to  raise  for  him  a  large  army  if  he  would  re- 
turn and  invade  Mexico.  You  will  remember  that  the 
Texcucans  had  always  been  jealous  of  the  Mexicajisi 
Cortes  accepted  the  offer,  in  spite  of  the  protests  of 
JSTarvaez'  men,  who  had  had  enough  of  Mexican  cam- 
paigns and  wished  to  go  back  to  Cuba.  They  and  some 
of  the  other  soldiers  presented  a  protest  in  form  to 
the  general,  who  replied,' 
y\j8^.*What  is  this  I  hear?  Is  it  true  that  you  would 
^  retire  from  the  fertile  fields  of  New  Spain — you,  Span- 
iards, Castilians,  Christians  ?  leave  the  shiploads  of 
gold  which  in  the  Aztec  capital  we  saw  and  handled  ? 
leave  standing  the  abominable  idols  with  their  blood- 
stained ministers,  and  tamely  summon  others  to  en- 
joy the  riches  and  glory  which  you  are  too  craven  to 

139 


1/ 


MEXICO 

grasp?  Alas  for  your  patriotism,  your  duty  to  your 
emperor  and  your  God !  Alas  for  the  honor  of  the 
Spanish  arms!  Go  all  who  will;  abandon  your  sa- 
cred trusts,  and  with  them  the  wealth  in  mines  and 
tributes,  and  the  fair  estates  awaiting  you.  For  my- 
self, if  left  alone,  then  alone  will  I  remain,  and  take 
command  of  Indians,  since  my  Spanish  followers  have 
all  turned  cowards !"  ""  Fired  by  this  speech,  Cortes' 
old  comrades  declared  they  would  not  permit  a  man 
to  leave  for  the  coast. 

The  army  was  mustered  out  at  a  village  near  Tlas- 
calla ;  it  included  450  Spaniards,  with  about  20  horses, 
a  few  firelocks  and  field  pieces,  cross-bows,  swords  and 
pikes.  There  were  about  6000  Tlascallans,  and  still 
more  Indians  sent  from  Texcuco.  Reinforcements 
later  brought  the  number  of  Spaniards  up  to  900,  and 
increased  the  horsemen  and  artillery.  An  important 
feature  of  the  preparations  was  brigantines  built  in 
Tlascalla,  and  carried  in  pieces  on  the  shoulders  of 
Indians  to  Lake  Texcuco.  The  Spanish  advanced  to 
Texcuco,  entering  there  on  December  31,  1520. 

Cortes  managed  in  a  few  months  by  negotiations  and 
force  of  arms  to  bring  the  lake  provinces  and  towns  in 
the  valley  of  Mexico  under  his  control.  This  was  the 
easier  since  many  of  them  had  for  a  long  time  hated 
the  Aztecs  on  account  of  their  arrogance  and  cruelty. 

The  siege  of  ]\Icxico  began  during  the  last  of  May, 
1521,  when  the  brigantines,  having  been  carried  all  the 

140 


THE  AZTEC  GODS  DEPART  FOREVER 

way  from  Tlascalla,  were  launched  in  the  lakal  |A^ 
long  description  of  this  siege  would  be  toojpainful  to^.^_, 
read,  so  we  will  pass  over  it  as-quickly  as  possible^  IF 
lasted  for  eighty  days.  Again  and  again  the  Span- 
iards penetrated  to  the  heart  of  the  city,  only  to  be 
driven  back  again  to  their  encampments.  The  Mex- 
icans were  desperate,  and  fought  like  rats  in  a  trap. 
The  narrow  streets,  and  the  isolation  of  the  houses  by 
moats  and  drawbridges  helped  the  defense,  in  pre- 
venting the  spread  of  fire  and  making  it  easy  for  the 
natives  to  attack  the  Spanish  troops  from  the  houses 
and  roofs.  Finally  the  Spanish  and  the  allies,  by 
Cortes'  orders,  tore  down  every  building  as  they  cap- 
tured it,  and  filled  up  every  channel  as  they  advanced. 
Jn  this  way  they  slowly  turned  the  beautiful  city  into 
a  place  of  desolation. 

1'^  "Raze  and  tear  down,"  the  Aztecs  called  to  the  al- 
lies when  they  saw  them  at  this  work,  ''raze  and  tear 
down,  ye  slaves,  but  all  must  be  rebuilt  with  your  own 
hands  for  the  victor!" 

Meanwhile  the  brigantines  sailed  about  the  lake, 
helping  the  soldiers  with  their  cannonading  and  sink- 
ing countless  Aztec  canoes.  -^^^^ 

At  first  the  Mexicans  had  plenty  of  provisions,  but 
as  the  siege  wore  on,  these  failed  and  the  people  be- 
came gaunt  and  weak  from  hunger.  They  no  longer 
cared  whether  they  lived  or  died;  the  warriors  fought 
more  desperately,  the  women  and  children  and  old  men 

141 


MEXICO 

were  cut  down  like  slaughtered  sheep.  They  were  liv- 
ing on  snails,  lizards  and  rats,  the  scum  of  the  waters, 
roots,  and  weeds.  One  by  one,  their  streets  and  houses 
were  falling  into  the  possession  of  the  enemy.  The 
palace  of  Axayacatl,  the  former  Spanish  headquarters, 
was  razed  to  the  ground,  the  beautiful  House  of  the 
Birds  had  fallen.  The  market  had  been  taken  by  Al- 
varado  and  his  men,  and  again  the  Spaniards  had 
hurled  the  idols  from  the  temple  overlooking  it.  The 
besieged  were  now  huddled  into  one  quarter,  the  dead, 
the  dying,  and  those  almost  dying  from  hunger,  wounds 
and  fatigue,  crowded  all  together. 

The  leader  of  the  defense  in  the  City  of  Mexico  was 
Guatemozin,  a  brave  young  prince,  hardly  twenty  years 
old,  who  had  succeeded  Cuitlahua,  Montezuma's 
brother,  who  had  died  of  the  small-pox,  which,  intro- 
duced by  Narvaez'  men,  was  then  raging  through  the 
unfortunate  country.  Guatemozin  had  married  one  of 
Montezuma's  daughters.  lie  was  not  only  courageous, 
but  intelligent,  and  put  up  the  best  defense  possible 
under  the  circumstances.  Many  times  during  the 
siege  Cortes  sent  messages  to  him,  begging  him  to  make 
a  surrender  on  honorable  terms  and  save  his  people  fur- 
ther suffering.     Guatemozin  would  have  none  of  him. 

"Tell  Malinche  that  I  and  mine  elect  to  die.  We 
will  entrust  ourselves  neither  to  the  men  who  commit 
nor  the  god  who  permits  such  atrocities!"  was  his  an- 
swer. 

142 


THE  AZTEC  GODS  DEPART  FOREVER 

The  Spaniards  suffered  much  from  wounds,  exhaus- 
tion and  hunger  during  the  siege,  but  the  thing  they 
most  dreaded  was  the  hollow,  mournful  boom  of  the 
serpent  skin  drum  on  the  summit  of  the  temple,  and 
the  "hellish  music,"  as  Bernal  Diaz  calls  it,  of  the 
shell  trumpets,  horns  and  other  barbaric  instruments 
which  announced  the  hours  of  sacrifice.  From  the 
Spanish  camps  could  plainly  be  seen  all  the  horrible 
proceedings:  the  white,  naked  bodies  of  the  Spanish 
captives  as,  with  feathers  in  their  hair,  they  were  forced 
to  dance  on  the  platform  of  the  temple,  and  then  the 
sacrifice,  one  by  one,  on  the  curved  stone,  and  the  dead 
bodies  rolled  down  the  steps  of  the  temple.  The  re- 
membrance of  these  things  made  the  invaders  fight  all 
the  more  fiercely,  in  order  at  all  events  not  to  be  taken 
alive.  ^ 

'    At  last  the  Mexicans  made  a  desperate  attack  from  \ 
all  quarters  at  once  upon  the  besiegers,  but  though  at 
first   the    Spanish   were   thrown   into   confusion,    they 
rallied  and  recovered,  killing  or  capturing  an  enormous 
number  of  Aztecs. 

/  As  things  became  more  and  more  hopeless,  many  of 
the  starving  Mexicans  and  their  chiefs  wished  for  peace 
at  any  price.  Guatemozin  and  the  higher  chiefs  still 
held  out.  One  morning  Sandoval,  who  had  been  or- 
deued  by  Cortes  to  watch  the  lake,  spied  a  very  hand- 
somely ornamented  canoe  crossing  at  the  further  end 
and  ordered  one  of  his  captains  to  give  chase.     As  it 

143 


MEXICO 

did  not  stop  when  signaled,  the  Spaniards  were  about 
to  fire  on  it,  when  one  of  the  passengers  stood  up  and 
said, 

''Forbid  your  men  to  shoot  at  me !  I  am  the  King 
of  Mexico.  I  only  beg  of  you  not  to  touch  my  wife, 
my  children,  these  women,  or  anything  else  I  have  with 
me  here,  but  take  me  alone  to  Malinehe." 

The  royal  captive  was  escorted  with  all  honors  to 
Cortes.  He  was  a  dignified,  grave,  young  man,  with 
features  worn  with  suffering  and  large,  brilliant  eyes. 
Walking  with  a  firm  step  into  the  presence  of  his  enemy, 
he  said, 

"Malinehe,  I  have  done  all  within  my  power  for  the 
defense  of  my  people;  but  the  gods  have  not  favored 
me.  My  empire  is  gone,  my  city  is  destroyed,  and  my 
vassals  are  dead.  For  what  have  I  to  live?  Now 
draw  the  dagger  which  hangs  at  your  belt,  and  plunge 
it  into  my  bosom."  He  touched  a  dagger  at  Cortes' 
belt. 

"Fear  not,"  replied  Cortes.  "You  shall  be  treated 
with  all  honor.  You  have  defended  your  capital  like 
a  brave  warrior.  A  Spaniard  knows  how  to  respect 
valor  even  in  an  enemy."  He  gave  orders  that  Guate- 
mozin  and  his  family  should  be  given  the  food  they 
sorely  needed  and  shown  every  mark  of  distinction. 

With  the  surrender  of  its  valiant  chief  the  siege  of 
the  City  of  Mexico  came  to  an  end.  On  that  night  a 
terrific  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning  raged  over  the 

144 


THE  AZTEC  GODS  DEP^VET  FOKEVER 

desolated  city,  shaking  the  ruined  houses,  flooding  the 
pestilential  streets  and  illuminating  the  whole  scene  of 
desolation  with  a  series  of  ghastly  flashes.  The  an- 
cient gods  were  taking  their  departure  in  fury,  leaving 
the  city  forever  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  white 
strangers ! 

Never,  in  any  story,  has  there  been  a  more  extraor- 
dinary exploit  than  this  conquest  of  Mexico.  That  a 
band  of  white  men,  so  few  in  number,  should  even 
dare  to  make  their  way  through  so  many  miles  of  rough 
and  unknown  country,  swarming  with  strange  tribes, 
to  visit,  against  his  express  command,  a  monarch  se- 
curely protected  in  his  own  city  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
number  of  devoted  subjects — that  in  itself  is  strange 
enough;  that  these  white  men  should  actually  capture 
the  monarch  in  his  own  palace  and  take  him  prisoner 
to  their  quarters  makes  the  exploits  of  the  heroes  of 
dime-novels  pale  and  uninteresting;  but  that,  after  the 
whole  population  of  the  city  had  risen  against  them  as 
one  man,  they  should  escape,  and  once  again,  after  tre- 
mendous losses,  return,  put  the  city  to  the  siege  and 
capture  it,  is  almost  unbelievable.  And  yet  we  must 
remember  that  the  success  of  the  Spaniards  was  not 
alone  due  to  their  audacity  and  strength  of  arms,  great 
as  these  were.  The  Mexicans  were  conquered  by  na- 
tives of  their  own  country  as  much  as  by  the  whit« 
man.  It  was  Mexican  haughtiness  and  Mexican 
cruelty  which  laid  the  train  of  gunpowder  to  which  the 

145 


MEXICO 

Spaniards  applied  the  match.  If  the  coast  natives  had 
not  been  well  disposed  towards  the  Spaniards ;  if  Tlas- 
calla,  so  long  harassed  by  the  cruel  Aztec  armies,  had 
not  formed  a  safe  base  and  retreating  point  for  the 
foreigners,  and  given  them  her  warriors  in  gTeat  num- 
bers; if  the  Indians  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico  had  not 
been  divided  among  themselves  on  account  of  the  ex- 
actions of  the  dominant  tribe,  Mexico  would  never 
have  fallen. 

Jn  a  thousand  acts  of  injustice  and  cruelty  to  con- 
quered tribes,  in  a  million  sacrifices  of  war-captives, 
Mexico  had  written  her  own  doom. 


CHAPTER  XII 
AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

The  Mexicans  obtained  permission  from  Cortes  to 
leave  the  wreck  of  their  once-beautiful  city,  and  a 
ghastly  procession  of  starving  women  and  children  and 
wounded  men  straggled  along  the  causeways  to  the 
green  fields  beyond.  The  Spaniards  at  once  set  about 
their  task  of  cleaning  the  city.  Huge  bonfires  were 
lighted  in  the  streets,  and  heaps  of  corpses  buried. 

During  all  the  seventy-fi^7(e_day;s  of  siege  the  Span- 
iards had  only  lost  about  one  hundred  men.  The  allies 
lost  great  numbers,  and  it  is  believed  that  about  a  hun- 
dred thousand  Mexicans  fell  by  the  sword,  and  many 
more  from  famine  and  disease. 

The  Spanish  soldiers  roamed  about  the  street  of 
Tenochtitlan  looking  for  the  treasure  which  was  sup- 
posed to  be  hid  there  in  such  vast  quantities.  But  very 
little  was  found.  Even  the  gold  and  rich  stuffs  they 
had  can-ied  themselves  from  the  palace  of  Axayacatl 
and  lost  in  the  struggle  on  the  causeway  on  the  "Sad 
Night"  were  mostly  lacking.  The  disappointment  of 
the  soldiers  was  gi*eat.     Of  what  use  had  all  their  strug- 

147 


MEXICO 

gles  and  sufferings  been  if  they  were  not  to  be  made 
rich  by  them?  They  looked  angrily  at  the  captive 
King,  Guatemozin.  He  surely  must  know  where  the 
treasure  was  hid.  Perhaps  he  had  some  secret  under- 
standing with  Cortes  to  share  it  with  him  and  say 
nothing  about  it.  These  suspicions,  hinted  to  Cortes, 
cut  him  to  the  quick ;  and  when  the  furious  soldiers  de- 
manded the  torture  of  Guatemozin  to  force  him  to  con- 
fess the  whereabouts  of  his  riches,  Cortes,  to  his  ever- 
lasting shame,  consented.  Guatemozin  and  the  chief 
of  Tacuba  were  tortured  together,  by  having  their  feet 
immersed  in  boiling  oil.  Guatemozin  endured  his  suf- 
fering with  the  greatest  stoicism. 

"Think  you  I  am  enjoying  my  bath  V  he  inquired 
ironically,  when  the  other  chief  groaned. 

The  Spaniards  got  no  satisfaction  from  either  of 
them.  Guatemozin  said  that  the  treasure  had  been 
buried  underneath  the  waters  of  the  lake,  while  the 
king  of  Tacuba  confessed  that  a  part  of  it  was  buried 
in  the  grounds  of  one  of  his  villas.  But  it  was  not 
found  there,  and  divers  in  the  lake  never  recovered 
anything  of  much  value.  To  this  day,  people  in  Mex- 
ico believe  that  the  gold  the  Spaniards  fought  for  so 
fiercely  lies  hidden  in  the  soft  mud  at  the  bottom  of 
Lake  Texcuco. 

Cortes  decided  to  make  his  capital  on  the  site  of  the 
old  city,  and  the  work  of  rebuilding  went  quickly  for- 
ward.    Conquered   Mexicans   and  the   allies  who  had 

148 


AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

helped  conquer  them  were  alike  forced  to  labor.  The 
Aztec  prophecy  with  which  they  taunted  the  allies  dur- 
ing the  siege  had  come  true. 

Now  came  messengers  from  all  Mexico  to  pay  their 
respects  to  this  wonderful  conqueror.  One  of  these 
was  the  King  of  Michoacan,  that  great  western  prov- 
ince which  had  never  been  conquered  by  the  Aztecs, 
w^ho  gazed  in  awe  at  the  Spanish  war-chief  who  had 
tamed  the  thunder  and  lightning  and  razed  the  tem- 
ples and  houses  of  proud  Tenochtitlan.  He  allowed 
the  Spaniards  to  explore  his  territory,  and  they  gained 
their  first  glimpse  of  the  great  Southern  ocean,  and 
brought  back  specimens  of  gold  and  California  pearls. 
Cortes  instantly  determined  to  plant  colonies  on  the 
Gulf  of  California,  not  far  from  which,  he  hoped,  were 
the  isles  of  the  Indies,  teeming  with  gold  and  pearls 
and  spices.  He  also  sent  expeditions,  under  Sandoval 
and  Alvarado,  to  explore  some  of  the  provinces  to  the 
south  of  the  Cordilleras,  which  were  still  hostile,  and  / 
bring  them  under  Spanish  control.  "> 

After  some  delay,  due  to  the  intrig-ues  of  Velasquez, 
who  was  madly  jealous  of  Cortes  and  everything  he  had 
done,  Cortes  was  made  Governor,  Captain-General,  and 
Chief  Justice  of  New  Spain,  as  Mexico  was  now  called.  >. 
His  officers  were  also  rewarded  with  honors  and  lands, ^ 
and  the  soldiers  promised  grants  of  land.  Velasquez 
was  so  disgusted  with  this  success  of  his  rival  that  he 
fell  into  melancholy  and  shortly  after  died,  it  is  said, 

149 


MEXICO 

of  a  broken  heart.  Dona  Catalina  Xuarez,  Cortes^ 
wife,  came  to  Mexico  to  share  the  success  of  her  hus- 
band. Rumor  says  that  he  received  her  coldly,  though 
with  all  outward  honor.  The  climate  of  the  tableland 
did  not  suit  the  poor  lady,  and  in  three  months  she 
died.  People  hinted  that  Cortes  poisoned  her.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  foundation  for  this  rumor,  but  he 
realized  that  Marina,  who  loved  him  so  devotedly  and 
had  helped  him  so  much  during  the  Conquest,  was  the 
innocent  cause  of  the  talk  and  that  she  must  be  got 
out  of  the  way. 

About  this  time  he  set  out  with  many  of  his  soldiers 
on  an  expedition  to  Honduras,  to  quell  a  revolt  that 
had  arisen  there  under  his  officer  Christoval  de  Olid, 
who,  sent  by  Cortes  to  plant  a  colony,  had  set  up  an 
independent  government.  On  this  long  trip  Marina 
accompanied  her  Captain  for  the  last  time  as  inter- 
preter. On  the  way  they  passed  through  her  native 
province,  Coatzacualco,  and  Cortes  halted  for  some  days 
there  to  hold  a  conference  with  the  chiefs.  To  this 
conference  came  the  "princess,"  Marina's  mother,  and 
her  son.  Marina,  as  usual,  was  at  Cortes'  side,  in- 
terpreting. Her  likeness  to  the  "princess"  and  the  chief 
struck  every  one ;  Marina's  mother  instantly  recognized 
her  and  was  filled  with  terror.  But  Marina,  in  the 
sweetest  way,  instantly  raised  her  from  her  knees  where 
she  had  fallen,  and  embraced  her,  giving  her  the  orna- 
ments and  jewels  she  was  wearing.     She  told  her  rela- 

150 


AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

tives  that  "she  felt  much  happier  than  before,  now 
that  she  had  been  instructed  in  the  Christian  faith  and 
given  up  the  bloody  worship  of  the  Aztecs.'' 

Farther  on  in  the  route,  Cortes  married  Marina  with 
all  due  ceremony  to  one  of  his  soldiers,  Juan  Xara- 
millo.  What  she  felt  we  do  not  know.  It  is  said  that 
she  never  lived  with  her  soldier  husband,  but  went  back 
to  her  native  province,  where  she  passed  the  rest  of 
her  days.  She  died  a  long  while  before  the  Conqueror. 
It  is  said  by  the  Indians  that  her  spirit  still  watches 
over  the  Capital  that  she  helped  to  win,  and  that  her 
ghost,  in  all  the  robes  of  an  Indian  princess,  is  seen 
sometimes  at  night  flitting  through  the  groves  of  the 
hill  of  Chapultepec. 

Cortes  took  Guatemozin  and  the  chief  of  Tacuba 
with  him  on  this  same  trip  to  Honduras,  since  they 
were  too  important  and  dangerous  personages  to  be  left 
behind.  On  the  way,  an  Indian  told  him  that  a  con- 
spiracy to  massacre  the  Spaniards  in  a  narrow  defile 
was  being  hatched,  and  that  Guatemozin  and  the  other 
chief  were  at  the  head  of  it.  In  vain  did  the  unfortu- 
nate lords  declare  their  innocence.  Cortes  had  found 
them  a  burden  for  a  long  time,  and  now  he  took  this 
pretext  to  put  them  both  out  of  the  way.  They  were 
hanged  from  the  branches  of  a  great  cypress-tree  on 
the  trail.  Guatemozin's  splendid  courage  never  fal- 
tered. 

"I  knew  what  it  was  to  trust  to  your  false  prom- 
151 


MEXICO 

ises,  Malinclie,"  be  said,  just  before  be  died.  "I  knew 
that  you  bad  destined  me  to  tbis  fate,  since  I  did  not 
fall  by  my  own  band  wben  you  entered  my  city  of 
Tenocbtitlan.  Wby  do  you  slay  me  so  unjustly  ?  God 
will  demand  it  of  you !" 

It  is  said  tbat  Cortes  brooded  over  tbis  deed;  tbat 
he  could  not  sleep  at  night,  and  became  moody  and  ir- 
ritable and  unlike  himself. 

The  hardships  of  this  trip  to  Honduras  were  almost 
unbelievable ;  they  far  surpassed  those  of  the  expedi- 
tions before  the  Conquest.  It  was  the  rainy  season 
and  countless  swollen  streams  had  to  be  crossed.  Many 
times  they  had  to  stop  to  make  bridges,  and  once  they 
constructed  a  bridge  of  a  thousand  pieces  of  timber, 
each  as  thick  as  a  man  and  sixty  feet  long,  all  cut  by 
themselves  from  the  forest.  Then  there  were  great 
forests  to  be  penetrated  and  mountain  ranges  traversed, 
and  at  the  last  even  their  guides  deserted  them.  They 
passed  through  the  beautiful  capital  of  Aculan,  whose 
name  is  to  be  found  on  no  map — Aculan  was  a  prov- 
ince w'hich  carried  on  a  thriving  commerce  with  the 
farthest  parts  of  Central  America — and  went  on  to 
the  Lake  of  Peten,  then  occupied  by  Mayas,  who  had 
built  their  city  on  an  island  of  the  lake.  These  were 
supposedly  converted  to  Christianity  by  the  Franciscan 
friars  who  accompanied  Cortes.  One  of  the  Spanish 
horses,  which  bad  been  disabled,  was  left  here.  The 
Indians  treated  the  animal  with  the  greatest  distinc- 

152 


AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

tion  and  gave  him  delicious  dishes  of  poultry  and  other 
delicacies  to  eat  such  as  they  would  have  given  to  a  sick 
person.  The  poor  animal,  not  relishing  such  fare, 
pined  away  and  died,  and  the  Indians,  frightened  be- 
cause they  had  offended  him,  made  an  image  of  him 
in  stone,  placed  it  in  one  of  their  temples,  and  wor- 
shiped it  as  a  deity.  Some  years  later,  friars  who 
visited  the  place  found  the  image  being  worshiped  as 
the  god  of  thunder  and  lightning ! 

Reaching  Honduras,  Cortes  found  Olid  already  dead 
and  the  country  at  peace;  but  about  this  time  rumors 
reached  him  of  an  uprising  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  where 
his  enemies,  proclaiming  him  dead,  had  taken  control 
of  the  government  and  were  confiscating  his  property 
and  that  of  other  of  the  Conquerors.  He  attempted  to 
go  back  by  sea,  was  nearly  shipwrecked  twice,  but 
finally  reached  Vera  Cruz  and  made  his  way  to  the 
capital,  where  he  created  as  much  astonishment  as  if 
he  had  been  raised  from  the  dead.  He  soon  quelled 
the  anarchy;  but  from  now  on  his  enemies  succeeded 
in  making  his  life  miserable. 

To  stop  the  reports  against  him,  Cortes  went  to 
Spain  to  see  the  Emperor.  The  returned  Conqueror 
made  a  great  sensation  in  his  own  country;  people 
flocked  from  far  and  wide  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the 
bronzed  and  scarred  hero,  who  had  won  an  empire  for 
Castile;  and  Cortes'  unaffected  manners  and  geniality 
won  him  friends  every^vhere.     Some  Indian  chieftans, 

153 


MEXICO 

including  a  son  of  Montezuma,  and  another  of  Maxixca 
of  Tlascalla,  in  their  gorgeous  feather  robes  with  plumes 
in  their  hair,  shared  the  attention  paid  to  Cortes;  and 
there  were  also  in  his  train  a  number  of  Indian  jug- 
glers, dancers  and  jesters  who  astonished  the  Euro- 
peans and  were  thought  worthy  of  being  sent  as  a  pres- 
ent to  the  Pope.  Now  that  Cortes  had  actually  ap- 
peared, to  give  the  lie  to  all  the  slanders  about  him, 
and  was  creating  so  great  a  sensation  in  the  country- 
side, the  emperor  decided  to  receive  him  graciously, 
and  showed  him  great  favor.  Moreover,  he  made  him 
Marquis  of  the  Valley  of  Oaxaca,  a  very  rich  tract  of 
land  in  Mexico.  But  he  would  not  give  Cortes  the  civil 
government  of  the  country  he  had  conquered,  for  it 
was  against  the  policy  of  the  Spanish  crown  to  give 
conquerors  such  power.  A  Viceroy  was  appointed  to 
govern  the  colony;  but  Cortes  was  made  Captain-Gen- 
eral of  ISTew  Spain  and  of  the  coasts  of  the  South  Sea 
and  given  gracious  permission  to  discover  as  many 
more  new  countries  as  he  could,  at  his  own  expense. 

While  on  this  visit  Cortes  married  a  very  young 
and  beautiful  noblewoman.  Dona  Juana  de  Zuniga. 
His  wedding  gift  to  her  was  five  emeralds,  which  were 
among  the  few  Aztec  treasures  saved  on  the  "Sad 
Night."  They  were  of  great  size  and  brilliancy  and 
wonderfully  cut  in  the  shapes  of  flowers,  fishes  and 
other  natural  objects.  Tradition  says  that  the  Spanish 
Queen  had  coveted  these  treasures  for  herself  and  was 

154 


AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

jealous  of  their  being  given  to  the  fair  young  bride,  and 
that  from  then  on  she  hindered  the  interests  of  Cortes  at 
court.  Cortes,  soon  tired  of  idleness,  even  under  such 
pleasant  circumstances,  returned  to  Mexico  the  next 
year,  with  his  wife  and  mother  (his  father  had  died 
just  before  he  reached  Spain)  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  the  beautiful  city  of  Cuernavaca  on  the  south- 
ern slope  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  he  had  built  a  stately 
palace.  Here,  for  a  while,  he  busied  himself  in  agri- 
culture, introducing  the  sugar-cane,  mulberry-trees  for 
the  silk-worm  industry,  sheep  and  cattle;  and  he  also 
developed  gold  and  silver  mines  on  his  estate.  But 
even  this  was  not  occupation  enough  for  him,  and  he 
set  off  to  explore  the  Southern  Ocean,  hoping  to  find 
the  fabled  islands  of  the  Indies,  and  also  a  strait  con- 
necting the  Atlantic  with  the  Pacific.  He  endured 
great  hardships  and  did  not  make  any  notable  discov- 
eries, while  the  expenses  of  the  expeditions,  which  he 
paid  out  of  his  own  pocket,  and  for  which  he  even 
pawned  his  wife's  jewels,  nearly  ruined  him.  He  also 
sent  expeditions  to  the  north.  They  discovered  Cal- 
ifornia, but  failed  to  find  any  gold.  He  went  to  Spain 
again  to  settle  some  disputes  which  had  arisen  in  con- 
nection with  his  explorations,  and  to  get  remunera- 
tion for  the  sums  he  had  spent,  but,  though  he  was 
politely  received,  his  affairs  dragged  and  nothing  was 
done  to  satisfy  him.  He  joined  in  an  expedition 
against  Algiers,  the  ship  he  was  in  was  wrecked,  he  and 

155 


MEXICO 

his  son  liad  to  swim  to  the  shore  and  the  five  emeralds 
which  he  was  carrying,  the  most  vakiable  of  all  the 
treasures  of  Montezuma,  were  lost.  On  this  campaig:n 
the  veteran  Conqueror  was  treated  with  little  consid- 
eration. The  siege  was  unsuccessful,  and  it  was  de- 
cided to  abandon  it.     Cortes  was  most  unwilling. 

"Had  I  but  a  handful  of  my  veterans  from  New 
Spain  here,  they  would  not  long  stay  outside  of  yon- 
der fortress!" 

"Indeed,  senor,  no  doubt  you  would  accomplish  won- 
ders; but  you  would  find  the  Moors  quite  a  different 
foe  from  your  naked  savages!"  sneered  the  other  of- 
ficers. 

Cortes'  further  attempts  for  recognition  at  court  were 
received  but  coldly.  He  was  getting  old,  and  no  mat- 
ter how  great  his  deeds  had  been,  they  were  all  over, 
nothing  more  could  be  expected  of  him.  What  was 
the  use  of  showing  him  further  favors,  reasoned  the 
King.  Besides,  lately,  his  enterprises  had  been  un- 
successful, and  he  was  really  becoming  a  decided 
nuisance.  And  already  Pizarro  had  discovered  Peru, 
which  was  yielding  ten  times  more  gold  than  Mexico 
had  yielded  silver.  So  when  Cortes  addressed  his  last 
petition  to  the  King,  reminding  him  of  all  the  toils 
and  dangers  he  had  undergone  in  the  service  of  Spain, 
and  the  nations  he  had  won,  and  that  he  was  now  old, 
infirm  and  harassed  by  debt,  and  longed  for  a  settle- 
ment of  his  affairs,  that  "he  might  stay  at  home  and 

150 


AFTEK  THE  CONQUEST  _ 

settle  his  account  with  Heaven,"  the  pathetic  appeal 
had  little  or  no  effect.  Three  more  years  were  passed 
in  waiting,  and  then  Cortes  resolved  to  return  to  Mex- 
ico. He  had  only  reached  Seville,  accompanied  by  his 
sou,  when  he  fell  sick,  and  troubled  in  mind  as  he  was, 
found  no  strength  to  rally.  He  died  at  a  village  near 
Seville  on  the  second  of  December,  1547.  His  remains 
were  buried  first  in  the  monastery  of  San  Isidro,  in 
the  family  vault  of  the  Dukes  of  Medina  Sidonia,  and 
afterwards  taken  to  Mexico,  to  the  monastery  of  St. 
Francis,  in  Texcuco.  Some  years  later  they  were  re- 
moved again  with  great  ceremony  to  the  City  of  Mex- 
ico, and  placed  in  the  church  of  St.  Francis,  but  again 
in  1794  they  were  taken  out  and  put  in  the  Hospital 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  Cortes  had  founded.  But 
in  1823,  when  Mexico  declared  her  independence  of 
Old  Spain,  a  mob  threatened  to  break  into  this  tomb 
and  scatter  the  ashes  of  the  Conqueror  to  the  four 
winds,  and  to  prevent  this  desecration  some  friends  of 
the  family  entered  the  vault  at  night  and  removed  the 
relics,  which  were  sent  to  Italy  and  found  a  final  rest- 
ing-place in  the  tomb  of  the  Monteleones,  who  are  de- 
scendants of  Cortes, 

And  so  is  finished  the  story  of  the  gi-eat  Conqueror, 
the  man  of  iron  will  and  boundless  courage,  who  never 
gave  up  one  of  his  enterprises,  though  it  was  wilder 
than  the  wildest  day-dream;  who  welded  together 
into   a  united   and   ardent   band    a   crowd    of   unruly 

1^7 


MEXICO 

desperadoes  and  avaricious  merchants;  the  man  who 
bent  millions  of  strange  natives  to  his  purpose,  who 
kidnapped  an  Emperor,  and  carved  out  of  the  un- 
known map  of  America  with  his  sword  "as  many 
kingdoms  as  there  were  towns  in  Spain"  for  his  Em- 
peror; the  man  who,  when  this  great  Conquest  was 
done,  was  not  content  with  resting  on  his  well-won  es- 
tates, but  must  set  off  on  new  expeditions  which  sur- 
passed in  hardships  all  that  he  had  undergone.  And 
he  was  not  only  a  conqueror;  after  the  fall  of  Mexico 
he  rebuilt  the  city  in  a  very  stable  and  splendid  man- 
ner, developed  the  resources  of  the  country,  introduced 
the  culture  of  the  sugar-cane,  orange  ^nd  grape,  and 
would  certainly  have  governed  it  well  if  he  had  been 
left  to  do  so. 

There  are  several  deeds  which  blot  the  memory  of 
Cortes.  He  was  pitiless  when  the  necessities  of  con- 
quest demanded  it;  but  he  never  permitted  the  natives 
to  be  outraged  or  ill-treated  after  they  were  conquered, 
and  on  the  whole  he  was  not  cruel.  That  the  natives 
liked  him  was  seen  by  the  way  they  flocked  to  greet 
him  when  he  returned  to  Mexico  from  Honduras  after 
he  had  been  reported  dead.  He  was  in  advance  of  his 
age  in  having  grave  doubts  as  to  the  right  of  any  one 
to  hold  slaves,  and  in  his  will  he  enjoined  it  on  his 
son  and  his  heirs  to  "spare  no  pains  to  come  to  an  ex- 
act knowledge  of  the  truth  [on  this  point],  as  a  mat- 

158 


AFTER  THE  CONQUEST 

ter  which  deeply  concerns  the  conscience  of  each  of 
them,  no  less  than  mine." 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  of  Cortes  that  he  was 
deeply  religious,  as  were  the  rest  of  his  gallant  com- 
panions, that  he  thought  he  was  doing  Christ's  work 
in  rescuing  the  heathen  from  their  sins,  and  that  he 
would  willingly  have  died  at  any  time  in  defense  of 
his  faith.  Take  him  for  all  and  all,  he  was  a  man ;  and 
withal,  one  of  the  most  dazzling  figures  in  all  history^ 


CHAPTER  XIII 

V,.. 

MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

Following  Cortes,  came  a  long  succession  of  Vice- 
V"  roys,  or  Royal  Governors,  who,  helped  or  hindered  by 
the  Audencias,  the  administrative  councils  also  ap- 
JU  pointed  by  the  King,  ruled  Mexico  for  three  hundred 
years.  These  were  years  when  zealous  priests  con- 
verted, superficially  at  least,  a  whole  nation  to  Chris^ 
tianity — when  great  cathedrals  and  churches  rose  above 
the  huts  of  humble  Indians — when  Spanish  grandees 
lorded  it  over  feudal  estates  as  large,  almost,  as  Span- 
ish provinces — when  the  terrible  Inquisition  spread  its 
black  shadow  over  the  smiling  plains  of  Anahuac — 
when  galleons  loaded  with  gold  and  silver  from  the 
mines  of  Mexico  sailed  to  enrich  the  treasuries  of  the 
Spanish  kings — when  pirates  flocked  in  the  Spanish 
Main  and  sacked  the  coast  cities — when  lakes  flooded 
the  rebuilt  City  of  Mexico  and  made  it  once  again,  as 
in  old  times,  an  inland  Venice.  Three  hundred  years 
of  Spanish  ambition,  magnificence,  cruelty  and  in- 
^\'  dolence  planted  on  the  ruins  of  the  Aztec  civilization 
and    basking    in    the    brilliant    sunshine    of    the   Kew 

160 


MEXICO  UNDEB  THE  VICEROYS 

World;  there  we  have  the  history  of  Mexico  under  the 
Viceroys. 

They  have  a  charm  of  their  own,  these  sleepy  Span- 
ish centuries,  and  we  shall  linger  over  them  a  little, 
to  hear  some  of  the  stories  of  Saints  and  Angels  who 
seem  to  have  had  the  country  under  their  special  pro- 
tection (though  they  let  some  very  curious  things  go 
by  without  protest),  and  to  trace  the  beginnings  of  the 
beautiful  cities  which  now  display  their  Spanish- 
American  architecture  in  the  valleys  and  plains  of 
Mexico.  As  to  the  sixty-two  Viceroys  who  "strutted 
their  uneasy  hour"  upon  the  Mexican  stage,  we  shall 
account  for  but  few  of  them;  for  their  Spanish  names 
are  long  and  confusing,  their  deeds  are  comparatively 
unimportant,  and  time  is  precious. 

Yet  we  must  mention  the  first  Viceroy,  Mendoza, 
appointed  in  1535,  who  during  his  fifteen  years  of  gov- 
ernment accomplished  much  for  the  country.  The  In- 
dians were  kindly  treated  during  his  term,  the  priests 
winning  them  over  to  Christianity  by  wise  and  gentle 
measures.  The  good  Bishop  Las  Casas,  whom  we 
heard  of  in  Cuba  and  who  fairly  earned  his  title  of 
Protector-General  of  the  Indians,  came  to  Mexico  at 
this  time  and  labored  hard,  but  without  much  success, 
to  mitigate  the  cruelty  of  the  Spanish  landowners. 
Mendoza  also  introduced  a  fine  breed  of  sheep  from 
Spain,  fostered  the  silk  industry,  advanced  the  com- 
merce,  mining  and  manufactures  of  the  colony,   and 

161 


MEXICO 

founded  the  cities  of  Guadalajara  and  Valladolid  (now 
Morelia).  During  his  administration  the  first  book 
ever  printed  in  the  New  World  was  produced  in  the 
City  of  Mexico  in  1536  on  a  printing-press  brought  by 
him  from  Spain.  This  far  antedates  the  Massachu- 
setts Bay  Psalter,  thoughtlessly  claimed  by  some  his- 
torians as  the  first  book  of  North  America.  During 
the  same  year  silver  and  copper  coins  were  minted  in 
the  capital. 

Indeed,  Mexico  in  the  sixteenth  century,  many  years 
before  the  Pilgrims  landed  on  our  stern  and  rock-bound 
coast,  was  far  up  among  the  nations  of  the  world  in 
culture  and  civilization.  In  1553  the  Royal  Univer- 
sity in  the  capital  opened  its  doors  to  a  waiting  throng 
of  students.  It  was  modeled  after  the  University  of 
Salamanca  in  Spain,  the  finest  of  the  times.  Scien- 
tists, artists  and  literary  men  brought  their  works  to 
the  capital  for  approval,  a  fact  which  indicates  the 
presence  there  of  a  large  number  of  intelligent  people. 
There  was  even  an  industrial  school,  which  we  think 
of  as  a  distinctly  modern  innovation.  It  educated  a 
thousand  Indian  boys  in  useful  arts  and  crafts. 

The  second  Viceroy,  Don  Luis  de  Velasco,  was  also 
an  excellent  man.  He  was  called  the  ''Emancipator" 
because  his  first  official  act  was  the  emancipation  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Indian  slaves  working 
in  the  mines.  "Of  more  importance  than  all  the  mines 
in  the  world  is  the  liberty  of  the  Indians,"  he  said, 

162 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

when  remonstrated  with  by  the  mine-owners  for  this 
humane  deed.  Unfortunately,  few  of  the  Spaniards  in 
power  after  him  had  the  same  sentiments. 

Velasco  governed  for  fourteen  years.  Jn  the  in- 
terval between  his  death  and  the  arrival  of  his  suc- 
cessor, a  strange  affair  took  place.  Don  Martin  Cortes, 
the  Marques  del  Valle,  Cortes'  legitimate  son,  was  ac- 
cused of  being  at  the  head  of  a  plot  to  kill  all  the 
Spaniards  and  make  himself  King  of  Mexico.  He 
was  supposed  to  be  aided  in  this  by  Don  Martin,  his 
half  brother,  the  son  of  Cortes  and  Marina.  The  in- 
cident which  gave  a  color  to  this  suspicion  shows  so 
well  the  life  of  the  times  that  it  is  worth  quoting,  in 
the  interesting  account  of  the  historian,  Branz  Mayer. 

"The  Marques  del  Valle,  heir  of  Hernando  Cortes, 
had  been  for  some  time  established  in  the  capital,  where 
he  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  noble  circle,  and  was  ad- 
mired by  all  classes  for  the  splendor  with  which  he 
maintained  the  honor  of  his  house.  .  .  . 

"On  the  thirtieth  of  June,  1566,  the  Dean  of  the 
Cathedral  .  .  .  baptized  in  that  sacred  edifice  the  twin 
daughters  of  the  Marques  del  Valle.  .  .  .  The  festivi- 
ties of  the  gallant  Marques  upon  this  occasion  of  fam- 
ily rejoicing  were,  as  usual,  among  the  rich  in  Spanish 
countries  attended  with  the  utmost  magnificence. 

"It  was  a  day  of  general  rejoicing  and  festivity  in 
the  city  of  Mexico.  From  the  palace  of  the  Marques 
to  the  door  of  the  Cathedral  a  passage  was  formed 

163 


MEXICO 


under  lofty  and  splendid  canopies  composed  of  tlie 
richest  stuffs.  A  -ahiTc  of  artillei  y  announced  the 
entry  of  the  twins  into  the  church,  and  it  was  repeated 
at  their  departure.  At  the  momelit  when  the  rites  of 
religion  were  completed  and  the 'infants  were  borne 
back  to  their  home  through  the  eo|i|ered  way,  the  spec- 
tators in  the  plaza  were  amused  by  a  complete  chivalric 
tournament  between  twelve  kBights,'  in  complete  steel. 
Other  rare  and  costly  diversions  gUcceedcd  in  an  arti- 
ficial grove,  which  the  Marques  had  caiiscd  to  be  erected 
in  the  plazuela  or  less^^r  square,  iaterAciiing  between 
his  palace  and  the  catliedral.  Nor  iwere  these  amuse- 
ments designed  alone  for  persons  of  his  own  rank,  for 
the  masses  of  the  people  were  also  summoned  to  par- 
take of  his  boil  I itifub  hospitality.  At  the  doors  of  his 
princely  dwelling,  tab|es'were  sumptuou-ly  spread  with 
roasted  oxen,  all  kln^s  bi  wild  fowl  and  numberless 
delicacies,  whilst  tw^^asks  of  red  and  white  wine, — 

tiie  most  "luxurious  rarities, — 


then  esteemed  ia  ]\i' 
were  set  flo^ng  f 
"At  night  Alons' 
companion  of  the 
sonages  of  Mexico 
there  was  a   pcifqr 
senting  the  recep 
peror    Montezuma 


ntimate 
ef  per- 
which 
repre- 
ly-  the  Em- 
■jjuenc^dly  attired,  sus- 
tained the  part  of  the  Mexican  sovereign.  During  one 
of  the  evolutions ^M^?i)uct4i(de,  Avila  tluew  around 


lons(>, 


liil 


y\ 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

the  neck  of  the  young  Marques  a  collar  of  intermingled 
flowers  and  jewels,  similar  to  ^he  one  with  which  his 
father  had  been  adorned  by  Montezuma;  and,  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  scene,  he  placed  on  the  heads  of  the 
Marques  and  his  wife  a  coronet  of  laurel,  with  the  ex- 
clamation, 'How  well  these  crowns  befit  your  noble 
brows !'  " 

This  was  enough  for  the  jealous  members  of  the 
King's  Audencia.  They  instantly  suspected  the  Mar- 
ques of  planning  to  seize  the  crown  of  Mexico,  and 
presently  managed  to  find  what  they  considered  proofs 
of  his  treason.  He  was  thrown  in  prison,  as  were  also 
Don  Martin,  Alonso  Avila  and  other  friends.  Two  of 
the  latter  were  executed  as  an  example,  and  Don  Mar- 
tin was  put  to  the  torture,  but  the  Marques  del  Valle 
was  let  off  by  banishment  to  Spain.  There  was  more 
danger  than  advantage  at  that  time  in  being  descended 
from  the  Conqueror  of  Mexico ! 

During  the  rule  of  the  next  Viceroy,  in  the  year 
15T1,  there  descended  upon  unfortunate  Mexico  the 
Office  of  the  Holy  Inquisition,  the  same  power  that 
had  decreed  the  burning  alive  of  countless  heretics  in 
the  mother  country.  Fortunately,  the  Indians  were 
exempt  from  its  cruel  edicts ;  but  in  the  two  centuries 
and  a  half  that  it  existed  in  Mexico — that  is,  till  1815 
— it  caused  the  death  of  a  number  of  Protestants  at 
•the  quemadero  (burning  placej  at  the  western  end  of 
the  city.     Usually  the  victims  were  strangled  to  death 

165 


MEXICO 

before  being  burnt.  The  Dominicans  were  responsible 
for  this  hated  institution,  which  did  much  to  bring 
about  the  downfall  of  the  Spanish  rule  in  Mexico. 

In  1572,  the  Jesuits  arrived  in  New  Spain,  and  the 
next  year  the  building  of  the  Cathedral  of  the  City  of 
Mexico  was  begun,  upon  a  site  just  behind  where  the 
old  Aztec  temple  had  stood.  This  Cathedral,  one  of 
the  show  places  of  Mexico,  was  not  finished  till  1730. 
The  Jesuits  were  expelled  from  Mexico  by  order  of 
the  Spanish  King  in  1767.  They  had  made  them- 
selves beloved  by  the  people,  who  greatly  regretted  their 
going. 

Aside  from  the  Inquisition,  the  influence  of  the 
Church  in  Mexico  was  beneficial  during  the  first  cen- 
tury of  Spanish  rule,  and  the  missionaries  labored  un- 
selfishly and  with  great  zeal  to  convert  the  natives  from 
their  old  bloody  religion  to  the  gentle  Christian  faith. 
In  many  cases,  while  changing  the  main  doctrines,  they 
allowed  the  Indians  to  keep  the  minor  ceremonies  of 
their  former  paganism,  and  to  this  day  in  Mexico  there 
are  strange  rites  mingled  with  the  church  services  and 
handed  down  from  the  dim  ages  of  the  past,  and  idols 
in  the  churches  which  the  priests  do  not  dare  to  re- 
move. The  courage  of  the  missionaries  during  this 
first  century  knew  no  bounds;  they  were  eager  to  ex- 
plore the  farthest  limits  of  the  country  to  gain  new 
tribes  for  the  Faith.  The  Jesuits  and  the  Francis- 
cans were-  the  chief  actors  in  the  romantic  stories  of 

166 


MEXICO  UNDEK  THE  VICEROYS 

the  settlement  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Texas  and 
California,  and  it  was  under  their  direction  that  the 
willing  Indians  built  the  picturesque  old  mission 
churches  and  cloisters  which  delight  tourists  through 
our  southwest  to-day. 

Floating  about  from  mouth  to  mouth  at  this  period 
was  the  Indian  legend  of  the  wondrous  Seven  Cities 
of  Cibola,  many  miles  to  the  north,  where  whole  streets 
were  peopled  by  goldsmiths.  It  tantalized  more  than 
one  gold-hungry  Viceroy  of  New  Spain,  and  several 
expeditions  were  sent  out  from  the  City  of  Mexico  to 
find  them.  A  priest,  the  Friar  Marcos^jvas  one  of  the 
first  to  go,  accompanied  only  by  a  negro  and  a  few 
Indians.  When  he  reached  the  entrance  to  the  valley 
of  the  Sonora  River,  he  sent  the  negro  on  ahead  with 
instructions  to  send  him  a  cross  a  palm  in  length  if  he 
discovered  anything,  and  a  cross  two  palms  in  length 
if  he  found  a  "great  thing,"  and  a  large  cross  if  he 
heard  of  a  country  "greater  and  better  than  New 
Spain."  In  four  days  back  came  a  messenger  with  a 
cross  as  high  as  a  man,  and  a  wonderful  tale  of  a  coun- 
try thirty  days  to  the  north  where  there  were  seven 
cities  made  of  houses  two,  three  or  even  four  stories 
in    height,    whose    doorways    were    covered    with    tur- 


quoises 


The  good  priest  hastened  on,  crossing  with  infinite 
toil  the  burning  sands  of  the  Arizona  desert,  accom- 
pani  d  only  by  a  few  Indians.     But  when  at  last  he 

167 


MEXICO 

reached  Cibola,  he  saw  only  the  mud  walls  of  a  Zuni 
village,  which  boasted  neither  gold  nor  silver,  indeed 
nothing  remarkable  but  a  few  turquoises  in  the  neck- 
laces of  the  squaws.  Much  disappointed,  he  returned 
to  the  City  of  Mexico.  The  fascinating  legend,  how- 
ever, was  hard  to  kill,  and  shortly  afterwards  the  gal- 
lant adventurer  Coronado,  with  an  imposing  army  of 
Spanish  cavaliers,  foot-soldiers  and  Indian  allies,  set 
out  to  find  the  fabled  region.  But  they  also  discov- 
ered no  cities  of  gold  or  silver,  only  the  terraced  com- 
munal houses  of  half-naked,  hostile  Zufiis ;  and  after 
numerous  unpleasant  experiences  the  battered  surviv- 
ors at  last  straggled  back  to  Mexico.  The  rich  min- 
ing region  of  Durango  in  northern  Mexico  was  ex- 
plored about  that  time  by  priests  and  mine-hunters, 
and  early  in  the  seventeenth  century  Juan  de  Onate,  a 
mine-owner  with  a  passion  for  exploration,  crossed  the 
Rio  Grande  at  El  Paso  and  in  1609  founded  the  colony 
of  Santa  Fe,  destined  to  become  the  oldest  city  in  the 
United  States.  The  Franciscan  missionaries  kept 
creeping  up  through  the  Chihuahua  desert,  the  Jesu- 
its through  the  Sonora  mining  region,  until  they 
reached  the  isolated  colonies  of  El  Paso  and  Santa  Fe, 
and  in  1680  in  that  region  there  were  fifty  well-built 
churches.  Many  of  their  graceful  arches  still  raise 
themselves  above  the  sands  of  the  deserts,  and  in  one 
instance  at  least,  that  of  the  mission  of  San  Xavier 
del  Bac  near  Tucson,  Arizona,  the  bells  in  the  tower 

168 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

at  a  recent  date  called  the  faithful  Indians  to  mass  as 
they  did  three  centuries  ago. 

While  the  friars  were  thus  spreading  religion  in  the 
north,  truly  wonderful  events  from  a  religious  point 
of  view,  if  one  may  believe  the  legends,  were  taking 
place  in  southern  Mexico.  One  of  these  was  the  ap- 
parition, of  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe,  a  story  which 
has  such  a  firm  hold  upon  the  entire  Mexican  people 
and  figures  so  largely  in  their  history  and  modern 
life  that  we  must  stop  to  tell  it.  The  scene  of  it  is 
the  village  of  Guadalupe,  a  short  distance  outside  of 
the  City  of  Mexico,  which  has  been  the  point  of  pil- 
grimage or  Mecca  of  the  Mexicans  for  nearly  four 
centuries. 

Away  back  in  the  time  of  the  first  Viceroy,  in  the 
year  1531,  a  poor  Indian  named  Juan  Diego  was  ap- 
proaching one  day  the  Hill  of  Tepeyacac,  but  a  few 
years  before  an  Aztec  place  of  worship  dedicated  to 
the  Mother-god.  All  at  once  he  heard  a  sound  of  such 
sweet  music  that  it  seemed  to  him  it  could  only  be 
made  by  angels.  Raising  his  eyes  to  the  rocks  above 
him,  he  saw  a  lovely  vision,  a  lady  with  a  halo  of  light 
about  her  head,  who  told  him  to  inform  his  Bishop 
she  wished  a  great  temple  to  be  built  on  the  hill  in  her 
honor.  While  the  Indian  knelt  in  awe,  the  Lady  dis- 
appeared. 

Juan  Diego  hastened  to  tell  the  Bishop  what  had 
happened,  but  the  latter  would  not  believe  the  story 

109 


MEXICO 

witliout  some  proof.  Three  times  the  Indian  went 
back  to  the  hill  and  saw  the  Lady,  who  repeated  her 
request,  but  would  not  give  him  any  sign  to  show  the 
Bishop.  Then  Juan's  uncle  was  taken  very  ill  with  a 
fever,  and  the  Indian,  after  nursing  him  for  two  days, 
on  the  third  day  hurried  off  to  find  a  confessor.  He 
was  afraid  to  pass  the  spot  where  he  had  seen  the  Vir- 
gin, so  took  a  path  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountain. 
But  lo  and  behold,  the  Lady  appeared  to  him  there  also. 
He  told  her  of  his  uncle's  illness,  and  she  assured  him 
that  he  was  "quite  well  again."  Then  she  com- 
manded Juan  to  cut  her  some  flowers  from  the  bar- 
ren hillside.  As  Juan  looked  at  the  bare  rocks  hope- 
lessly, he  suddenly  saw  roses  springing  where  no  flow- 
ers had  ever  grown  before.  He  picked  some ;  the  Lady 
told  him  to  take  them  to  the  Bishop  as  her  sign.  Juan 
wrapped  the  blossoms  in  his  til  ma,  as  the  Mexican 
blanket  is  called,  and  hastened  to  the  Bishop's  palace. 
When  he  reached  there  and  unwrapped  his  blanket  in 
the  presence  of  the  Bishop,  instead  of  the  flowers  they 
beheld  a  lovely  picture  of  the  Virgin,  imprinted  on  the 
blanket  in  soft,  bright  colors.  And  if  one  doubted  this 
story,  one  had  only  to  go  and  look  in  the  Church  at 
Guadalupe — for  there  at  a  recent  date  was  the  very 
picture,  carefully  guarded! 

From  this  time  on  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe  has  been 
the  beloved  patron  saint  of  the  Indian  population  of 
Mexico.     She  is  supposed  to  watch  over  them  and  fight 

170 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEEOYS 

their  battles  for  them;  indeed,  one  of  the  first  acts 
of  Hidalgo,  the  leader  of  the  peons  in  the  Revolution, 
was  to  take  her  picture  from  a  village  church,  and 
carry  it  as  a  banner  throughout  the  campaigTi.  De* 
cember  12,  the  day  when  the  Indian  gathered  the  roses, 
is  kept  in  the  republic  as  a  national  holiday.  Every 
year  at  this  season,  before  the  recent  Revolutionary  dis- 
turbances, the  Indians  poured  into  Guadalupe,  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  on  foot,  by  train  and  by 
trolley,  all  their  worldly  goods,  including  numerous 
babies,  upon  their  backs.  They  camped  out  on  the 
bare  flags  of  the  court-yard  surrounding  the  great 
church,  and  took  part  reverently  in  all  the  services. 
'No  matter  how  poor  they  were,  each  one  bought  a  can- 
dle to  put  on  the  shrine  of  their  dear  Virgin  of  Guad- 
alupe, who  gave  them  all  the  blessings  that  they  pos- 
sessed ! 

The  Spaniards  of  Mexico  also  have  their  patron 
saint,  the  Virgin  of  the  Remedies,  represented  by  an 
image  brought  out  of  Tenochtitlan  by  a  Spanish  sol- 
dier on  the  "Sad  Night,"  and  hidden  in  an  Aztec  temple 
where  the  Spaniards  rested.  It  was  discovered  in 
1535,  a  sanctuary  was  built  around  it,  and  it  became 
the  patron  saint  of  the  Spaniards  during  the  three 
centuries  of  their  rule.  Our  Lady  of  the  Remedies 
was  a  bitter  enemy  of  Our  Lady  of  Guadalupe,  and  so 
when  the  Mexicans  triumphed,  the  country  repudiated 
her  and  she  sank  into  oblivion,  while  her  gentle  rival 

171 


MEXICO 

grew  more  and  more  popular.  In  recent  times  all 
classes  in  Mexico  have  united  in  honoring  the  Virgin 
of  Guadalupe:  the  Catholics  for  religious  reasons,  the 
Liberals  for  patriotic  ones ;  the  Indians  because  she 
is  their  only  goddess. 

Another  legend  of  the  early  Viceroy  period  deals 
with  the  founding  of  the  city  of  Puebla,  formerly 
called  Puebla  of  the  Angels.  The  friar  Julian  Garces, 
first  bishop  of  the  Tlascallans,  wished  to  found  a  re- 
ligious town  where  travelers  on  their  way  between  the 
coast  and  the  City  of  Mexico  might  rest.  One  night 
in  a  dream  he  saw  a  beautiful  plain,  watered  by  two 
rivers  and  many  springs,  with  two  great  volcanoes  on 
the  west.  As  he  looked,  two  angels  with  lines  and 
rods  measured  boundaries  on  the  ground,  and  marked 
places  for  streets  and  squares  and  public  buildings. 
The  bishop  awoke  and  afterwards  found  the  very  place 
as  he  had  seen  it  in  his  dream,  and  on  this  spot  he 
founded  the  town  of  Puebla  of  the  Angels,  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Tlascalla,  in  1530,  with  the  help  of  forty  Span- 
ish families  and  many  joyful  Indians.  The  angels  who 
measured  it  out  must  have  w^pt  often  over  the  fierce 
battles  that  have  raged  in  and  around  it,  for  on  account 
of  its  position  on  the  highroad  between  Vera  Cruz  and 
the  City  of  Mexico  Puebla  has  figured  in  most  of  the 
Mexican  wars. 

Other  cities  not  founded  by  miraculous  aid,  but 
nevertheless    very    picturesque    and    interesting,    are 

172 


MEXICO  UNDEK  THE  VICEROYS 

Guadalajara,  Valladolid,  now  Morelia,  and  Guana- 
juato. 

Guadalajara  (Gwad-a-la-ha'-ra),  now  capital  of  the 
State  of  Jalisco  in  the  western  Sierra  Madre,  and  the 
most  beautiful  city  in  Mexico,  was  founded  by  the 
first  Viceroy,  Mendoza,  near  the  site  where  the  cruel 
Nuho  de  Guzman,  President  of  the  first  Audencia, 
who  burned  the  King  of  the  Michoacans  alive  because 
he  could  not  or  would  not  give  him  the  gold  he  desired, 
had  established  a  tovm.  under  the  pious  name  of  Es- 
piritu  Santo  (Holy  Ghost).  It  is  still  a  quaint  and 
interesting  old  town,  vv'ith  many  old  Spanish  houses 
whose  thick  wooden  doors  and  beautifully  wrought  iron 
gates  guard  inner  patios  full  of  lovely  flowers.  Its 
climate  is  like  June  all  the  year  around,  and  its  high 
altitude  makes  the  air  dry  and  healthful. 

Valladolid  was  also  founded  by  Mendoza  in  the  an- 
cient and  beautiful  western  kingdom  of  Michoacan, 
now  the  province  of  the  same  name.  This  belonged  to 
the  Tarascan  Indians  who  preserved  their  kingdom  till 
after  the  Conquest.  Valladolid  was  founded  with 
masses  and  days  of  festival,  sixty  Spanish  families  and 
many  Tarascans  being  assembled.  A  beautiful  ca- 
thedral, superior  even  to  that  in  the  City  of  Mexico, 
was  finished  in  1744.  The  name  of  this  city  was 
changed  to  Morelia  during  the  last  century,  for  a  rea- 
son we  shall  read  about  later. 

Life  in  the  City  of  Mexico  during  the  period  of  the 
173 


MEXICO 

Viceroys  was  not  without  its  troubles,  in  spite  of  a 
certain  glamour  and  splendor.  The  city  soon  lost  the 
reputation  for  brilliancy  which  had  distinguished  it  at 
first,  and  became  merely  rich  and  sleepy.  From  the 
time  of  the  Aztecs  it  had  been  subject  to  disastrous 
floods  in  rainy  seasons,  and  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century  an  engineer,  Enrico  Martinez,  was  called  upon 
to  prevent  this.  With  the  help  of  fifteen  thousand 
Indians  he  built  a  tunnel  to  drain  away  the  waters  of 
Lake  Zumpango,  the  highest  of  the  lakes  in  the  Mex- 
ican valley.  But  this  did  not  entirely  stop  the  floods, 
and  an  engineer  from  Holland,  Adrian  Boot,  was 
called  into  consultation  by  the  Viceroy,  and  recom- 
mended a  system  of  dikes,  which  was  built.  This 
vexed  the  jealous  Martinez,  and  during  a  very  rainy 
season  he  closed  up  his  tunnel,  with  the  result  that  the 
city  was  covered  with  three  feet  of  water.  Thousands 
of  Indians  died,  the  Europeans  left,  people  went  about 
in  canoes,  as  in  Aztec  times.  ]\Iartinez  was  promptly 
put  in  prison.  This  did  not  help  matters  at  all,  how- 
ever! He  was  released  by  the  authorities,  reopened 
his  tunnel  and  rebuilt  the  dikes,  and  the  waters  sub- 
sided. But  still  the  city  was  not  free  from  floods,  and 
later  on  Martinez'  tunnel  was  replaced  by  an  open 
canal,  still  to  be  seen,  which  caused  a  considerable  fall 
in  Lake  Texcuco,  so  that  the  former  island  on  which 
the  city  was  built  is  now  a  part  of  the  surrounding 

174 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

plain.     The  final  drainage  of  the  valley  was  completed 
in  1898,  by  a  firm,  of  English  engineers. 

If  life  in  the  capital  was  insecure,  that  in  the  coast 
cities  was  still  more  dangerous.  This  was  the  age  when 
pirates  sailed  the  Spanish  Main,  "with  a  yo-heave-ho, 
and  a  bottle  of  rum!"  Sir  Francis  Dxake-was  a  name 
to  inspire  terror  among  the  Spanish  sailors  and  set- 
tlers of  the  New  World  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
sixteenth  century.  In  various  raids  in  these  parts  this 
gentlemanly  person,  who  ate  off  fine  silver  and  was 
accompanied  by  the  younger  sons  of  the  English  no- 
bility, captured  many  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of 
gold,  silver  and  precious  stones  from  the  Spanish  mines. 
In  1577  he  sailed  for  the  Pacific  Ocean,  sacked  sev- 
eral towns  on  that  coast,  and  hid  among  the  lonely 
caves  of  California,  where  he  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for 
the  yearly  galleon  laden  with  rich  goods  from  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands.  (These  islands  had  been  colonized 
from  Mexico  in  1564  and  named  for  Philip  II  of 
Spain.)  In  due  time  he  sighted  her,  sailed  out,  cap- 
tured, and  plundered  her  of  her  treasure.  Later  he 
destroyed  St.  Augustine  in  Florida.  In  1683,  more  than 
a  century  later,  Vera  Cruz  was  besieged  and  sacked 
by  pirates  commanded  by  Van  Horn,  the  robbers  car- 
rying away  property  to  the  amount  of  seven  million 
dollars,  while  the  inhabitants  took  refuge  in  the 
churches.  Acapulco  on  the  west  coast,  the  center  of 
the  trade  with  China,  the  East  Indies  and  the  Philip- 

175 


MEXICO 

pines,  was  captured  by  the  English  pirate  Cavendish 
in  1587. 

In  1697,  the  Jesuit  Father  Salvatierra  with  others 
of  his  order  traveled  to  Lower  California,  hitherto  only 
visited  by  pearl  Ushers,  and  began  the  work  of  con- 
verting the  wild  tribes  at  the  foot  of  the  Western  Si- 
erras along  the  Pacific  coast.  Their  missions  later 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Franciscans,  who  began 
to  establish  missions  in  Upper  California  in  1769. 
From  this  period  date  the  mission  churches  of  San 
Diego,  Santa  Barbara  and  others,  which  are  still  stand- 
ing. 

In  1692,  the  foundations  of  Pensacola  in  Florida 
were  laid  by  the  Spaniards,  under  the  enterprising 
Viceroy  Galvez. 

In  1701,  the  passing  of  the  monarchy  of  Spain  from 
the  house  of  Austria  to  that  of  Bourbon  caused  great 
convulsions  in  Europe,  but  affected  Mexico  very  lit- 
tle. So  loyal  was  the  country  to  the  reigning  sover- 
eign, whoever  he  was,  that  the  new  Bourbon  King, 
Philip  V,  thought  at  one  time  of  taking  refuge  there 
from  the  stormy  scenes  in  Europe. 

Seventeen  hundred  and  fourteen  marked  the  begin- 
ning of  the  colonization  of  Texas  by  the  Jesuits.  By 
the  end  of  the  next  year  several  garrisons  were  estab- 
lished, and  the  Indians  gave  up  their  hunting  life  to 
settle  around  them,  as  long  as  the  supply  of  gifts  held 
out! 

176 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

watchful  lieutenant  of  mine  has  saved  you  to-night 
from  robbery." 

"Robbery!     Your  excellency,  is  it  possible?" 

"Yes,  and  of  the  worst  kind.  The  thieves  were  in 
the  act  of  carrying  off  your  most  exquisite  treasures 
— ^which  are  now  restored  to  you." 

At  these  words,  a  door  at  the  side  of  the  cabinet 
flew  open,  and  the  astonished  Marques  saw  his  two 
daughters,  dressed  for  traveling,  and  in  great  con- 
fusion. 

"And  these  are  the  robbers,"  added  the  Viceroy, 
pointing  to  a  door  on  the  opposite  side,  which  also 
flew  open.  The  Marques  turned,  and  saw  two  of  the 
gayest  and  handsomest,  but  also  most  dissipated  youths 
of  the  court,  whom  he  remembered  as  occasional  vis- 
itors at  his  house.  They  were  no  less  confused,  and 
also  alarmed. 

"You  see.  Marques,"  said  the  Count,  "that  but  for 
the  watchfulness  of  my  police,  you  would  have  had  the 
honor  of  being  father-in-law  to  two  of  the  gTcatest 
scamps  in  my  viceroyalty.  See  what  a  dilemma  your 
carelessness  has  brought  me  into,  my  dear  sir!  I  am 
obliged  to  wound  the  feelings  of  two  of  the  most  lovely 
ladies  in  my  court,  to  save  them  from  the  machinations 
of  scoundrels  unworthy  of  their  charms,  and  I  fear 
they  will  never  forgive  me!  Farewell,  Senor  Mar- 
ques; take  my  advice,  and  brick  up  your  rear  gate. 
As  for  these  young  scapegraces,  they  sail  in  the  next 

179 


MEXICO 

galleon  for  Manila,  where  they  can  exercise  their  fas- 
cinating powers  on  the  native  Philippine  women!" 

This  efficient  and  all-seeing  Viceroy  was  one  of  the 
last  to  wield  the  royal  authority  in  Mexico.  Spain, 
so  brilliant  and  powerful  when  Mexico  was  first  dis- 
covered, was  now  gi-owing  steadily  weaker.  In  1818 
the  conqueror  Napoleon  desposed  the  Spanish  King, 
Ferdinand  VII,  and  placed  Joseph  Bonaparte  on  the 
throne.  This  caused  a  thrill  of  disquiet  in  Mexico  and 
weakened  the  feeling  of  loyalty  to  the  mother-country. 
At  this  time  there  came  over  a  new  Viceroy,  Ituri- 
garray,  who,  though  a  public-spirited  ruler,  incurred 
the  displeasure  of  the  Audencia,  who  suspected  that  he 
meant  to  seize  the  government  for  himself.  Supported 
by  many  Spanish  citizens,  they  took  possession  of  the 
Vice-regal  Palace,  seized  and  imprisoned  Iturigarray 
and  shipped  him  back  to  Spain.  Thereby  they  showed 
how  easily  such  things  are  done,  and  started  a  long 
train  of  political  explosions  which  have  continued  up 
to  the  present  time. 

The  overthrowing  of  Iturigarray  was  only  a  little 
diversion  of  the  ruling  Spaniards;  but  another  move- 
ment of  greater  importance  was  in  the  air.  This  was 
the  real  Revolution  which  was  to  end  in  separation 
from  Spain.  It  was  brought  about  by  the  growing 
discontent  of  the  native  Mexicans,  both  upper  and 
lower  classes,  under  Spanish  rule.  The  upper  classes, 
consisting  of  Creoles,  or  people  of  Spanish  blood  born 

180 


MEXICO  UNDER  THE  VICEROYS 

in  Mexico,  and  mestizos,  people  part  Spanish  and  part 
Indian,  resented  bitterly  the  fact  that  all  the  impor- 
tant offices  in  the  colony  were  given  only  to  those  who 
had  been  born  in  Spain.  They  also  objected  to  the 
strict  rules  laid  down  by  the  mother  country  against 
foreign  trade  and  domestic  manufactures.  All  com- 
merce between  Mexico  and  the  rest  of  the  world  ex- 
cept Spain  was  forbidden  under  penalty  of  death. 
Mexico  was  not  allowed  to  produce  anything  that  might 
be  bought  in  Spain.  Such  industries  as  olive-growing 
and  silk-producing,  so  well  adapted  to  the  country, 
were  strictly  forbidden.  Mexico's  only  reason  for  ex- 
istence in  the  eyes  of  Spain  seemed  to  be  to  produce 
precious  metals :  gold,  gold,  and  still  more  gold.  More 
than  ten  billions  of  riches  had  already  been  taken  out 
of  the  country  to  give  to  Spain,  and  still  the  grasping 
mother  was  unsatisfied !  Then,  too,  there  was  a  most 
unjust  rule  by  which  soldiers  and  ecclesiastics  in  Mex- 
ico could  not  be  tried  in  the  ordinary  courts  but  only 
in  their  own  special  tribunals.  This  had  the  effect 
of  making  them  irresponsible  for  their  acts  to  the  world 
at  large,  and  led  to  many  instances  of  oppression.  The 
lower  classes  in  Mexico  had  every  reason  to  feel  re- 
bellious, as  they  were  practically  serfs  in  the  mines  and 
on  the  haciendas  or  estates. 

The  seeds  of  liberty  were  blown  into  the  country 
by  every  wind  from  the  free  Republic  at  the  north,  and 
carried  by  every  traveler  from  France.     The  hour  of 

181 


MEXICO 

the  Great  Eevolution  was  indeed  approaching.  But 
since  it  was  a  long-drawn-out  affair,  quite  bewildering 
in  its  many  twists  and  turns,  we  shall  tell  of  it  in  the 
simplest  possible  way,  in  story  instead  of  history  form. 
Let  us  listen,  then,  to  Pipila's  Story  of  the  Revolution. 


CHAPTEK  XIV 
THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE* 

(As  Told  by  Pipila) 

So,    Senorita,   you  would   have   me  tell  the  young 

Senors  and  Senoritas  of  the  United  States  the  story 

of  how  my  country  won  her  liberty  ?     Very  well.    Only 

you  must  put  down  every  word  just  as  I  say  it,  for 

I,  Pipila,  had  an  ancestor  who  was  in  these  very  events, 

and  what  is  more,  was  a  great  hero;  and  his  account 

of  these  matters  and  of  his  own  part  therein  has  been 

handed  down  in  our  family;   so  that  I  can  tell  you 

exactly  what  happened. 

*  This  account  of  the  Mexican  Revolution  for  Independence  ia 
historically  correct,  though  the  modern  Pipila  who  tells  the  tale 
is  an  imaginary  character.  The  Pipila  who  set  fire  to  the  door 
at  Guanajuato  was  a  real  person,  however,  his  deed  being  de- 
scribed on  page  33  of  L.  Gutierrez  De  Lara's  and  Edgcumb  Pin- 
chon's  "The  Mexican  People."  Also  in  Susan  Hale's  "Story  of 
Mexico."  Here  he  is  called  Pipiea,  and  described  as  a  small  boy. 
The  present  author  has  preferred  to  follow  De  Lara's  version. 
History  being  properly  the  study  of  humanity  at  various  epochs, 
she  makes  no  apology  for  using  this  human  incident  in  the  con- 
struction of  a  chapter  which  may  make  the  story  of  the  Revolu- 
tion more  appealing  to  young  readers,  and  possibly  older  ones, 
than  a  dry  recital  of  facts  and  battles  would  be.  The  reader  will 
find  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  Revolution  of  1810  in  any  of 
the  admirable  histories  of  Mexico  mentioned  in  the  List  of  Refer- 
ences given  in  the  front  of  the  book. 

183 


MEXICO 

In  the  first  place,  Senorita,  you  must  know  that  we 
Mexicans  suffered  much  during  the  three  long  cen- 
turies the  Spaniards  were  in  power.  For  the  cruel 
Spaniards  took  away  from  us  our  lands — the  lands 
which  our  ancestors  held  in  common — and  forced  us 
to  labor  like  the  meanest  slaves.  No  wages  did  we 
get,  we  who  should  have  owned  the  country;  nothing 
but  the  coarsest  food,  rags,  blows  and  abuse. 

But,  you  say,  we  had  the  Church  to  help  us.  She 
was  rich — the  images  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the 
Saints  in  the  churches  even  in  the  poorest  villages  were 
blazing  with  gold  and  jewels — surely  she  did  not  look 
on  tamely  and  see  us  abused.  Ah,  Senorita,  you  are 
wrong.  In  old,  old  times,  when  the  Spaniards  first 
came,  I  have  heard  that  the  priests  were  kind  to  my 
ancestors,  protected  them  from  the  cruelty  of  the  Span- 
iards, gave  them  excellent  instruction  and  allowed  them 
to  live  in  peace  and  receive  some  of  the  fruits  of  their 
toil.  But  in  later  times  that  was  all  changed.  The 
Church  had  grown  too  rich,  too  powerful.  Such  riches 
and  such  power  are  dangerous  for  the  soul.  The 
priests,  instead  of  setting  an  example  to  us,  were  men 
of  bad  lives.  Ah,  what  goings  on  there  were  in  the 
monasteries  scattered  over  the  land  you  would  hardly 
believe,  and  indeed  it  would  be  a  shame  to  tell  you. 
And  on  the  gi-eat  estates  of  the  Church,  the  poor  peons 
were  more  badly  used  than  elsewhere.  Those  were  in- 
deed hard  times,  Senorita.     It  was  still  many  years 

184 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

after  the  Revolution  in  your  great  country,  and  yet 
my  poor  forbears  were  so  ignorant  that  they  did  not 
think  it  possible  for  men  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  the 
oppressor. 

But  here  and  there  in  Mexico  were  men  of  better 
education,  who  learned  of  what  you  call  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution  (there  is  more  than  one  American 
Revolution,  Senorita),  and  of  that  other  great  Revo- 
lution in  Francfe  which  overthrew  the  aristocrats  who 
oppressed  the  French  peons  so  sorely.  And  these  men 
— they  were  brave  and  clever,  you  may  believe — be- 
gan to  ask  themselves,  why  should  we  not  do  this  in 
Mexico  ?  Why  should  we  suffer  forever  in  silence  ? 
Why  not  tell  the  poor  people  what  other  people  in  other 
lands  have  done,  and  make  great  armies  of  them,  and 
lead  them  to  victory  ? 

Ah,  little  did  the  Spaniards  realize  what  was  in  the 
air.  True,  they  learned  of  conspiracies  here  and  there 
— they  put  the  Intellectuals,  as  the  clever  men  were 
called,  in  prison  now  and  again — but  never  did  they 
dream  that  the  Indian  peasants  would  have  the  strength 
and  courage  to  rise  against  them ! 

Now  one  of  the  clever  men  I  spoke  of  was  Miguel 
Hidalgo;  and  would  you  believe  it,  he  was  a  priest  of 
the  Church!  But  that  when  you  think  of  it  is  not  so 
strange,  for  was  not  Jesus  Christ  himself,  the  founder 
of  the  Church,  a  man  of  ideas,  who  cared  for  the  com- 
mon people?     And  this  priest  cared  more   for  what 

185 


MEXICO 

Jesus  taught  than  for  what  the  dignitaries  of  the 
Church  said.  Indeed,  he  had  ah-cady  run  afoul  of 
these  same  dignitaries,  and  been  summoned  before  the 
Holy  Inquisition  to  account  for  his  views;  but  he  an- 
swered them  so  reasonably  that  they  let  him  go.  For 
this  Cure  Hidalgo  was  a  man  of  some  education.  He 
could  understand  French,  even !  and  had  taught  at  the 
college  of  San  Nicolas,  in  Valladolid.  But  now  he 
was  cure  of  the  little  village  of  Dolores,  in  the  very 
rich  state  of  Guanajuato,  which  is  full  of  mines  of 
silver  and  gold  and  other  precious  metals. 

Father  Hidalgo,  though  he  had  studied  much,  was 
a  practical  man.  He  desired  to  help  his  people,  who 
were  very  poor  and  oppressed  by  the  mine-owners,  and 
so  he  started  factories  for  them  to  work  in  at  good 
wages.  Weaving  and  pottery  factories — from  time  im- 
memorial we  Mexicans  have  been  able  to  make  very 
pretty  cloths  and  also  earthen  vessels  of  all  sorts — and 
he  also  started  a  blacksmith's  shop,  and  a  farm  with 
mulberry  vines  for  silkworms. 

But  the  Spaniards  in  power  would  have  none  of  these 
things,  for  they  did  not  wish  to  have  any  industry  in 
the  country,  but  all  products  must  be  brought  from 
Spain,  at  such  high  prices  that  none  but  the  rich  could 
buy  them.  These  Spaniards  thereupon  broke  up  the 
factories,  and  destroyed  the  vines  which  sheltered  the 
silkworms  of  the  good  cure.     Ah,  they  did  not  know 

18G 


THE  KEVOLUTION  TOR  INDEPENDE:N^CE 

■what  they  were  planting  in  the  heart  of  the  cure  Hi- 
dalgo when  they  tore  up  his  precious  vines ! 

"Very  well!"  said  he  to  himself.  "They  will  not 
let  me  help  my  people  by  any  peaceful  means.  They 
will  see  now  what  I  can  do  by  force!" 

At  this  time,  Senorita, — it  was,  in  fact,  in  the  year 
1810 — there  were  other  men  of  ideas  in  the  country. 
Two  of  these  were  very  fine  young  men,  Lieutenant 
Aldama  and  Lieutenant  Allende,  of  the  King's  army. 
Lieutenant  Allende  especially  was  well-born,  of  a  Span- 
ish father  and  Mexican  mother,  rich  and  handsome — 
handsome  as  an  angel — yet  in  spite  of  being  so  favored 
by  fortune,  he  desired  to  help  his  unfortunate  brothers 
in  Mexico.  Hidalgo  knew  these  young  men  and  oth- 
ers like  them.  Somehow — such  things  happen  easily 
in  my  country,  Senorita — word  flew  from  one  to.  the 
other  that  they  must  join  together  and  lead  the  natives 
in  an  uprising  against  the  government.  But  not  at 
once;  there  were  arms  to  be  collected  and  much  to  be 
prepared;  they  must  not  be  in  too  much  of  a  hurry. 

But,  behold,  weeks  before  the  uprising  was  to  occur, 
came  Aldama  and  Allende  secretly  in  the  dark  mid- 
night to  the  house  of  the  good  Cure  Hidalgo. 

"Our  plans  are  discovered  by  the  government,"  they 
told  him.     "We  shall  be  arrested  shortly." 

The  Cure  Hidalgo  was  a  man  of  courage,  for  all  that 
up  to  now  he  had  been  a  peaceful  priest. 

"Then  we  must  act  at  once !"  cried  he. 
187 


MEXICO 

Instantly  be  sent  the  alarm  to  a  few  of  his  friends 
in  the  village  and  before  the  half  hour  was  over  ten 
or  more  armed  men  hastened  to  him.  With  these  and 
the  young  lieutenants  the  Cure  Hidalgo  marched  to 
the  town  jail,  where  were  many  poor  wretches  unjustly 
confined  for  having  opinions  which  did  not  please  the 
government,  or  for  no  reason  at  all.  These  Hidalgo 
and  his  friends  at  once  set  free.  It  was  the  first  act 
of  liberation  of  the  Revolution. 

The  Cure  then  hastened  to  his  church,  for  by  this 
time  it  was  three  o'clock,  the  hour  for  the  peasants' 
mass,  before  they  went  to  their  long  day's  labor  in  the 
mines  and  fields.     But  there  was  no  mass  that  day. 

''My  children,"  cried  Hidalgo  from  the  pulpit,  ''this 
day  has  come  to  us  a  new  dispensation.  Are  you  ready 
to  receive  it  ?  Will  you  be  free  ?  Will  you  make  the 
effort  to  recover  from  the  hated  Spaniards  the  lands 
stolen  from  your  fathers  three  hundred  years  ago?" 

"Yes!  Yes!"  the  peons  answered.  "Down  with  the 
Spaniards !" 

And  who  can  blame  them?  For  though  the  Span- 
iards may  hare  been  good  in  some  points,  Senorita, 
they  were  not  good  to  the  INIexicans.  They  were  far, 
far  worse  than  those  whom  you  call  Tories — you  see  I 
am  educated,  I  have  read  your  histories — than  those 
Tories  were  to  your  ancestors;  and  yet  you  are  proud, 
are  you  not,  of  having  driven  the  Tories  from  your 
land? 

188 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

But  the  priest,  Hidalgo,  gave  his  people  a  new  cry. 
"Up  With  True  Religion,  and  Down  With  False  Gov- 
ernment !" 

"El  Grito  de  Dolores,"  is  called  the  movement  that 
started  that  night,  "The  Cry  of  Dolores;"  it  has  gone 
echoing  down  into  history.  Would  you  not  be  proud 
of  your  ancestors  that  had  started  that  cry,  Senorita  ? 

For  truly,  one  of  my  ancestors  was  in  the  thick  of 
these  events.  That  one  was  the  old  peon,  Pipila,  after 
whom  I  am  named.  He  was  one  of  Hidalgo's  pa- 
rishioners, and  oh,  how  he  loved  the  good  cure.  He  has 
often  described  him  to  my  gi*andfather,  who  has  told 
it  to  me;  a  very  vigorous,  strongly  built  man,  was  this 
beloved  priest,  one  who  loved  a  joke,  with  a  good  red 
face  and  well-shaped  head,  but  already  advanced  in 
years  when  these  events  began.  And  indeed,  so  was 
my  ancestor,  Pipila.  But  he  too  was  still  strong,  as 
you  shall  see. 

Well,  when  Pipila  heard  Father  Hidalgo  speak  at 
the  church  that  morning,  he  was  set  all  on  fire,  so  to 
speak,  and  determined  to  join  the  Revolution  at  any 
cost,  though  he  had  no  gim  and  no  weapon  at  all  but 
his  own  two  arms  and  a  stout  club.  And  in  that  he 
was  like  many  others  of  the  peons,  for  the  Spaniards 
had  not  encouraged  their  having  weapons,  you  may 
be  sure. 

Meanwhile,  you  understand,  more  and  more  natives 
were  hastening  into  the  little  village  of  Dolores.     For 

189 


MEXICO 

it  was  only  a  few  hours  before  the  news  of  what  had 
happened  had  spread  far  and  wide  among  the  peons. 
Things  happen  that  way  in  Mexico.  Even  now,  at 
the  time  of  the  present  disturbances,  in  places  where 
there  is  not  the  telephone  and  telegraph,  the  native 
Mexicans  know  of  the  movements  of  distant  armies  long 
before  the  white  people.  How  is  that  ?  Is  it  some 
magic?  Do  not  ask  me.  We  Mexicans  have  secrets 
handed  down  from  the  native  men  who  were  in 
Anahuac  long  before  the  white  people  came.  We  were 
of  very  intelligent  races,  Senorita,  not  uneducated  sav- 
ages, you  understand,  like  your  red  men,  but  races  from 
the  East,  possibly,  where  there  is  much  wisdom.  Who 
knows  ? 

At  any  rate,  the  peasants  of  the  country  heard,  long 
before  the  Spaniards,  of  the  Grito  which  the  good 
Hidalga  had  given,  and  they  came  hurrying  to  aid  him. 
They  were  strange  people  for  an  army,  poor  farm 
laborers  and  mountain  Indians;  and  as  for  arms,  most 
of  them,  like  my  ancestor,  had  none  at  all;  but  some 
had  arms  they  had  fashioned  for  themselves,  by  stealth, 
perhaps  at  the  cure's  blacksmith  shop.  The  good  cure 
at  first  did  not  want  to  take  these  poor  defenseless  crea- 
tures on  his  march,  but  they  insisted.  They  were  men, 
Senorita,  they  would  not  stay  behind  while  Hidalgo 
was  fighting  their  cause. 

So  the  ver^  day  after  the  midnight  alarm,  Hidalgo 
and  tlio  young  officers  and  their  band — there  were  six 

190 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOE  INDEPENDENCE 

hundred  then — set  forth  on  their  march.  And  at  every 
step  of  the  way  other  natives  joined  them,  so  that  in  a 
few  hours  there  were  a  thousand,  then  two  thousand, 
and  finally  great  numbers.  Presently  they  came  to  a 
town — you  would  not  know  the  name,  Senorita,  if  I 
told  it  to  you — and  they  entered  and  bade  the  inhabi- 
tants surrender.  So  taken  by  surprise  were  the  Span- 
iards in  the  town  that  hardly  one  of  them  resisted.  As 
for  the  other  people,  they  were  glad  enough  to  have 
those  of  their  blood  get  the  upper  hand,  I  can  tell  you. 
In  passing  a  certain  church,  the  cure  took  therefrom  a 
banner  containing  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  of  Guada- 
lupe, and  fixing  it  upon  his  lance,  adopted  it  as  the  flag 
of  the  army.  "Viva  la  religion!  Viva  nuestra  Madre 
Santisima  de  Guadalupe!  Viva  la  America  y  muera 
el  mal  gohienio!"  (''Long  live  religion !  Long  live  our 
most  Holy  Mother  of  Guadalupe !  Long  live  America, 
and  death  to  bad  government.")  And  at  this  town  they 
got  arms,  which  came  in  very  usefully,  you  may  be 
sure.  And  this  army  of  Hidalgo's  went  on  and  on, 
from  one  town  to  another  in  this  region,  and  all  of  them 
fell  quite  peacefully  into  their  hands,  so  greatly  were 
the  Spaniards  surprised  at  the  daring  of  these  op- 
pressed peasants. 

But  by  and  by  the  rebels — as  the  Spaniards  called 
them,  just  as  the  British  did  your  ancestors,  Senorita — • 
came  to  the  strong,  rich,  mining  city  of  Guanajuato, 
the  "Silver  City,"  which  is  built  in  a  ravine,  the  houses 

191 


MEXICO 

all  crowded  on  top  of  one  another  as  if  on  a  stairway. 
Guarding  all  is  the  very  strong  fortress  called  the 
Castillo  de  Granaditas,  where  were  six  hundred  Span- 
ish soldiers  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  well-trained, 
quite  unlike  Hidalgo's  poor  peasants,  besides  many 
other  Spanish.  At  the  head  of  them  all  was  the  Bishop, 
who  directed  operations ;  and  aiding  him  were  the  Span- 
ish mine-owners,  very  strong  men,  well-used  to  author- 
ity, who  were  prepared  to  battle  to  the  utmost  to  defend 
the  riches  which  they  had  wrung  from  the  bowels  of 
the  earth  through  the  forced  toil  of  poor  Indians. 

Hidalgo  and  his  peasants,  of  whom  my  ancestor 
Pipila  was  one,  hesitated  not  at  all,  but  made  all  prep- 
arations to  attack  this  fortress.  But  truly  it  was  a 
hard  job,  as  you  say  in  your  country,  Senorita,  for  the 
Spaniards  had  many  cannon  to  mow  down  the  enemy, 
besides  all  their  guns,  and  we  had  barely  a  thousand 
muskets  among  us,  and  the  shot  from  these  spattered 
harmlessly  against  the  stone  walls  of  this  strong 
fortress.  But  nevertheless  the  Mexicans  began  the 
attack. 

Oh,  how  furiously  they  surged  against  those  walls, 
and  how  incessantly  they  threw  their  stones  at  the 
castle.  And  how  valiantly  those  with  guns  used  them ! 
And  when  the  cannon  balls  plunged  through  the  ranks, 
killing  many,  how  others  ])ressed  forward  to  take  their 
places.  It  was  quite  like  the  old  days,  Senorita,  when 
the  Aztecs  besieged  Cortes  and  his  men  in  the  palace 

192 


THE  EEVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

of  Axayacatl.  We  natives  are  peaceable  by  nature  and 
slow  to  revolt,  but  when  we  do  rise,  nothing  stops  us. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  fury  of  attack,  what  should 
happen  but  that  a  priest  bearing  a  crucifix  appeared 
upon  the  parapet  of  the  Castillo  and  commanded  us  to 
withdraw !  So  long  had  the  Church  ruled  over  us  for 
good  or  ill  that  he  thought  he  had  only  to  say  the  word 
and  we  would  obey!  But  alas,  that  priest  was  speak- 
ing on  the  wrong  side.  We  would  have  nothing  more 
to  do  with  the  priests  of  the  Spaniards.  My  people 
stoned  him  and  his  crucifix  without  remorse. 

But  still  the  great  fortress  appeared  impregnable, 
and  the  Mexicans  were  losing  their  lives  by  the  thou- 
sand in  vain.  What  was  there  to  do  ?  Ah,  Senorita, 
this  is  where  my  brave  ancestor,  Pipila,  came  to  the 
front.  He  had  a  head,  that  man,  though  he  was  only 
an  uneducated  Indian,  He  looked  at  the  fortress  and 
he  saw  one  spot  in  it  less  strong  than  the  rest ;  the  great 
door,  which  was  of  wood,  though  with  strong  iron  bars 
and  bolts.  If  the  Mexicans  could  but  set  fire  to  that 
gate,  thought  Pipila,  it  would  be  easy  then  to  force  their 
way  in.  But  how  to  do  it?  For  the  gate  was  well 
guarded,  and  whoever  approached  it  would  get  a  bap- 
tism of  bullets  that  would  usher  him  into  the  life  to 
come  without  delay. 

Pipila  in  despair  cast  his  eyes  to  the  ground.  There 
what  should  he  see  but  a  large,  flat  paving-stone  some- 

193 


MEXICO 

what  loosened  from  its  mortar !     Quick  as  thought  he 
pried  it  up  with  his  stick. 

ITow  the  turtle  is  an  animal  with  which  we  are  well 
acquainted  in  Mexico,  and  I  for  my  part  believe  that 
Pipila  on  seeing  this  stone  thought  at  once  of  the  horny 
back  of  the  turtle  which  the  good  God  has  given  the 
beast  to  protect  him  from  injury.  For  Pipila  did  a 
strange  thing.  He  placed  himself  on  his  hands  and 
knees  like  any  four-footed  animal,  and  requested  those 
near  him  to  put  the  large,  flat  stone  on  his  back. 

"Bind  it  on  me  with  ropes,"  said  he.  "And  bring 
me  fire  and  a  torch  of  fat  pine!" 

They  did  as  he  commanded,  for  they  saw  well  that 
Pipila  had  some  good  reason.  Then  did  this,  my  an- 
cestor, who  was  already  an  old  man,  but  of  great 
strength,  begin  crawling  on  his  hands  and  knees  toward 
the  great  door  of  the  fortress.  Ah,  how  the  bullets 
whizzed  round  him,  yes,  and  even  spattered  like  hail 
upon  his  back !  But  what  did  that  matter,  since  it  was 
of  solid  stone  ?  Yes,  that  old  Pipila  was  a  good  turtle 
that  day!  Not  a  bit  did  lie  mind  what  went  on  about 
him,  but  crawled  with  all  his  four  feet  as  fast  as  he 
could  go  towards  that  door  with  the  torch  in  his  hand. 
When  he  reached  it  you  can  imagine  what  happened. 
The  wood  was  thick,  but  it  was  old  and  dry.  That 
torch  which  Pipila  carried  undid  all  the  work  of  the 
Spanish  soldiers.  It  burnt  a  hole  in  their  fortress  that 
let  the  Revolutionaries  in ! 

194 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  I]S[DEPENDE:N^CE 

So  the  strong  Castillo  de  Granaditas  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Mexicans,  Senorita,  with  all  its  soldiers  and 
priests  and  mine-owners,  with  all  their  weapons,  and 
also  the  gi'eat  riches  of  the  Spaniards.  And  since 
these  had  been  wrung  from  us  by  force  in  the  first  place, 
we  took  them  all  back  again;  and  greatly  they  helped 
us  in  our  Revolution.  The  people  of  the  town  were 
with  us  in  this  struggle,  and  rose  in  our  favor,  killing 
many  Spaniards. 

As  for  Pipila,  he  survived  the  fight,  and  accompanied 
Hidalgo's  army  further  on  its  march.  I  never  heard 
that  he  was  promoted  for  his  deed,  but  doubtless  that 
would  not  have  been  fitting,  for  he  was  only  a  poor, 
ignorant  peon,  and  well  advanced  in  years.  But  he 
received  great  glory  among  his  comrades,  and  is  even 
mentioned  in  the  histories  to  this  day.  God  grant  that 
I,  his  namesake,  may  accomplish  something  noteworthy 
for  the  cause  of  freedom  in  these  troubled  times, 
Senorita ! 

You  ask  what  further  became  of  the  army  of  our 
Revolution,  and  of  its  leader,  Hidalgo.  Ah,  Senorita, 
all  was  not  prosperity,  and  yet  in  the  end,  yes,  in  the 
end,  they  triumphed ;  even  though  by  that  time  many, 
including  our  brave  priest,  were  in  Paradise  with  the 
angels.  Shall  I  tell  you  the  rest  of  the  story  of  the 
Revolution,  Senorita?  Well,  then,  have  patience,  for 
there  were  many  confusing  events  which  happened,  as 
is  the  way  with  our  history.     I  think  you  of  the  North 

195 


MEXICO 

know  little  of  our  Mexican  deeds  and  heroes.  And  is 
it  not  strange,  when  we  fought  for  independence,  just 
as  you  did? 

Hidalgo  and  his  army  next  marched  on  the  great  city 
of  Valladolid,  now  Morelia,  and  captured  that  with 
scarcely  a  struggle.  And  then  they  made  preparations 
to  march  upon  Mexico  City.  But  meanwhile  the  Vice- 
roy, Venetas,  was  aroused,  and  his  army  was  even  then 
marching  to  conquer  the  insurgents.  And  also  the 
gi'eat  dignitaries  of  the  Church  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
were  hurling  sermons  and  excommunications  right  and 
left  at  our  good  priest  Hidalgo  and  all  his  comrades. 
They  would  bar  them  from  all  intercourse  with  Chris- 
tians in  this  world  and  from  Heaven  in  the  world  to 
come.  And  why  should  they  wish  to  do  that,  when  our 
cry  was  not  against  the  Church,  but  against  bad  govern- 
ment? You  may  well  ask.  The  Church  in  Mexico, 
Senorita,  has  too  often  been  on  the  side  of  bad  govern- 
ment, because  that  has  upheld  it  in  all  its  unjust  power 
and  privileges.  But  these  insurgents  cared  not  at  all 
for  the  excommunications.  Perhaps  they  thought  any- 
thing was  better  than  the  life  the  Church  already  had 
made  them  suffer.  And  was  not  the  Blessed  Virgin 
of  Guadalupe  on  their  side  ?     They  marched  on. 

On  the  Hill  of  Las  Cruces,  not  far  from  the  City 
of  Mexico,  the  two  armies  met ;  that  of  Hidalgo,  and 
that  of  the  Viceroy;  and  a  terrible  battle  followed. 
The  enemy  used  their  artillery  well,  and  more  than  ten 

196 


THE  KEVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

thousand  Revolutionists  lost  their  lives  on  that  day. 
But  such  were  our  numbers  and  our  courage  that  un- 
armed as  many  of  us  were,  we  completely  destroyed  the  n 
Viceroy's  army.  Not  one  was  left  alive  on  the  field. 
As  for  the  general  himself,  he  escaped  only  because  his 
horse  was  swift! 

Having  gained  this  great  victory,  the  peons  thought 
that  of  course  Father  Hidalgo  would  march  at  once 
upon  the  City  of  Mexico.  But  he  did  not  do  so.  Why 
not?  Some  say  that  his  compassionate  heart  feared 
the  horrors  that  might  follow  if  the  Revolutionaries 
were  let  loose  in  the  streets  of  the  capital ;  others  say 
that  his  messages  to  the  people  of  the  capital  met  with 
no  response  and  he  thought  them  hostile.  At  any  rate, 
he  turned  about  and  led  his  army  north.  My  ancestor 
Pipila  was  still  with  him.  He  was  sorry  indeed  to 
turn  his  back  upon  the  capital.  He  felt  in  his  bones 
that  it  would  come  to  no  good. 

And  indeed  in  a  short  time  Hidalgo  with  his  army 
was  attacked  in  great  force  by  the  Spanish  general 
Calleja  at  Aculco,  and  badly  defeated.  The  great  army 
all  melted  away.  Part  of  it  went  with  Allende  to 
Guanajuato,  but  Calleja  pursued  them  there,  and  pres- 
ently they  had  to  leave  Guanajuato  and  retreat  to 
Zacatecas.  Calleja  then  entered  the  Inining  city  in 
triumph — and  oh,  what  a  terrible  revenge  he  and  his 
troops  took  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  for  "having 

197 


MEXICO 

aided  the  Kevolutionists !  You  would  not  believe  what 
cruelties  they  committed. 

But  meanwhile  my  ancestor  Pipila  was  with  Hidalgo 
in  the  north  in  Guadalajara.  Though  at  first  after  the 
great  defeat  only  a  handful  of  men  was  left  with  the 
Cure,  he  was  not  discouraged,  but  set  about  gaining 
new  recruits.  These  joined  him  in  some  numbers,  and 
what  is  more,  he  established  a  government  in  Guadala- 
jara, and  received  the  title  of  Generalissimo  of  the 
Army  of  the  Revolution,  even  as  did  your  George 
Washington.  And  he  sent  a  commissioner  to  the 
United  States  to  ask  for  aid,  but  the  man  was  captured 
by  the  Spaniards  before  he  reached  your  border. 

N^ow  Calleja  made  plans  to  march  with  his  terrible 
army  to  attack  Hidalgo,  and  Aldama  and  Allende, 
knowing  of  it,  hastened  thither  with  their  forces.  And 
a  great  battle  was  fought  at  the  Bridge  of  Calderon, 
near  Guadalajara,  when  Hidalgo  and  his  army,  and  the 
reinforcements  of  Allende  and  Aldama,  tried  to  prevent 
the  army  of  Calleja  from  coming  further.  It  was  a 
long  and  furious  battle,  and  three  times  it  looked  as 
if  the  Revolutionaries  would  win,  but  they  were  at  last 
defeated.  My  ancestor  Pipila  escaped  as  if  by  a  mir- 
acle, and  hid  in  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Guadalajara. 
And  Hidalgo  and  Allende  also  escaped  towards  the 
north,  and  it  was  their  hope  that  they  could  reach  your 
country   and   recruit   another   army.     But,    alas,   they 

198 


THE  KEVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

were  captured  by  a  force  of  Spanish  in  the  desert,  and 
taken  to  Chihuahua  for  trial. 

At  the  trial  Hidalgo  made  a  speech,  telling  the  Span- 
iards what  it  was  the  patriots  hoped  to  do  for  their 
country.  Ah,  Senorita,  it  makes  the  Mexican  heart 
glow  with  pride  to  read  that  speech,  just  as  yours  does 
when  you  read  what  Lincoln  says  at  Gettysburg.  For 
Hidalgo,  like  your  Lincoln,  was  a  great,  simple  man, 
one  who  could  joke,  yes,  but  with  a  heart  as  deep  as  the 
ocean ;  and  what  both  desired  above  all  was  the  welfare 
of  their  people.  And  though  Hidalgo  had  never  heard 
of  government  "of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for 
the  people,"  yet  he  said  in  other  words  that  very  same 
thing;  namely,  that  he  was  fighting  for  a  Congress  in 
which  every  individual  of  his  country  should  be  repre- 
sented ;  and  that  this  Congress  should  pass  laws  to  es- 
tablish the  brotherhood  of  man,  the  progress  of  fine  arts, 
industry  and  commerce;  and,  above  all — mark  these 
good  words — that  it  should  "^recognize  in  every  one  with- 
out exception  the  right  to  enjoy  the  bounteous  produc- 
tion of  our  rich  lands,  and  the  right  to  he  happy,  thus 
obeying  God's  fatherly  commands  to  this  country/'  Ah, 
yes,  that  is  what  Hidalgo  wished  for  his  people — that 
they  should  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  toil,  which  they 
never  had  done  since  the  Spaniards  came,  and  that  they 
should  be  happy.  And  to  win  them  this,  he  gave  every- 
thing, even  his  life. 

For  of  course  the  Spaniards  decreed  that  Hidalgo 
199 


MEXICO 

should  die.  And  of  what  happened  on  the  day  of  his 
execution  my  ancestor,  Pipila,  who  was  still  in  hiding, 
heard  afterwards  from  a  native  who  was  present  in 
the  service  of  the  Spaniards,  though  his  heart  was  on 
the  other  side.  The  Priest  Hidalgo,  being  wakened 
early  in  the  morning,  walked  to  his  execution  as  calmly 
as  to  early  mass.  On  the  way  he  stopped  and  senr  a 
messenger  back  after  something  he  had  left  under  his 
pillow — some  sweetmeats,  all  the  valuables  he  had — 
and  when  they  were  brought  he  distributed  them  among 
the  soldiers  of  the  firing  squad,  as  if  they  had  been  his 
children.  And  this  done,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  ap- 
pointed chair,  and  raised  his  hand  to  his  heart,  to  show 
them  where  to  fire.  And  then  the  shots  rang  out,  and 
all  was  over.  The  good  Cure  Hidalgo  had  gone  to  his 
reward. 

Your  George  Washington  was  more  fortunate, 
Senorita.  But  he  was  not  more  beloved  by  his  people 
than  is  our  hero.  There  is  not  a  Mexican  to-day,  no 
matter  how  ignorant,  who  does  not  hold  in  reverence 
the  name  of  Miguel  Hidalgo.  And  the  picture  of  this 
man  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the  schoolrooms  in  the  re- 
motest Indian  districts.  The  anniversary  of  the  Grito 
de  Dolores  is  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  national  holi- 
days. 

Hidalgo's  lieutenants,  Aldama,  Allende,  and  Jiminez, 
were  no  less  unfortunate,  all  being  executed.  Indeed, 
Pipila,  when  he  returned  to  Guanajuato,   some  time 

200 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

after,  saw  the  heads  of  all  the  four  heroes  placed  on 
spikes  on  the  four  corners  of  the  Castillo  de  Granaditas 
which  they  had  conquered,  but  which  had  reverted  to 
the  Spaniards.  But  they  did  not  stay  there  forever, 
Senorita.  When  the  Revolution  was  ended  the  heads 
of  these  heroes  were  taken  dovm  and  buried  with  all 
reverence  in  the  Cathedral  of  the  City  of  Mexico.  And 
to-day  in  Guanajuato  in  the  square  in  front  of  the 
Castillo  de  Granaditas,  where  the  spike  is  still  shown 
on  which  his  head  formerly  hung,  stands  a  bronze 
statue  of  Hidalgo  the  Liberator. 

But  now  to  tell  you  of  the  further  happenings  in  the 
Revolution.  When  one  man  dies  in  a  good  cause, 
Senorita,  always,  always,  there  is  found  another  to  take 
his  place.  So  now,  at  the  death  of  Generalissimo 
Hidalgo,  though  the  Revolutionists  for  the  most  part 
were  scattered,  still  another  priest,  by  the  name  of 
Juan  Maria  Morelos,  upheld  the  cause  in  the  South, 
being  especially  known  for  his  defense  of  the  village 
of  Cuautla,  where  for  sixty-two  days  he  held  the  well- 
trained  army  of  Calleja  at  bay,  and  then  retreated  with 
great  skill,  losing  no  men.  Morelos  was  a  fine  man, 
the  son  of  very  poor  parents,  and  had  been  dedicated 
by  them  at  an  early  age  to  the  career  of  mule-driver. 
He  pursued  this  calling  for  some  time,  learning,  one 
may  say,  patience  and  determination  from  his  mules, 
and  then,  at  the  advanced  age  of  thirty,  entered  the 
Academy  of  San  Nicolas  in  Valladolid  (now  Morelia) 

201 


MEXICO 

to  study  for  the  priesthood.  And  who  should  be  his 
professor  there  hut  Miguel  Hidalgo?  Ah,  Senorita,  it 
was  not  alone  priestcraft  that  they  learned  there  at 
the  Academy  of  San  Nicolas,  but  much  else  of  impor- 
tance. And  so  when  the  Cry  of  Dolores  was  sounded 
in  1810,  Father  Morelos,  then  in  charge  of  a  parish, 
was  one  of  the  first  to  come  to  the  aid  of  Father 
Hidalgo. 

So  he  kept  up  the  fight  after  Hidalgo  had  passed  on, 
and  defeated  the  royalists  in  many  battles  during  the 
years  1812  and  1813.  And  during  this  time  he  called 
together  the  first^  National  Mexican  Congress  at  a  city 
called  Chilpantzingo,  not  far  from  the  Pacific  coast. 
And  they  framed  a  constitution,  which  provided  that 
every  male  citizen  of  Mexico  over  eighteen  years  of 
age  should  vote,  and  set  forth  other  just  and  liberal 
measures.  Morelos,  who  received  from  this  Congress 
the  title  of  Generalissimo  of  the  army,  planned  to  take 
the  Congress  to  Yalladolid,  his  native  city,  and  estab- 
lish a  government  there ;  but  he  and  his  force  were 
defeated  just  outside  Valladolid  by  the  combined  forces 
of  two  Royalist  commanders,  one  of  whom  was  Augustin 
de  Iturbide,  a  most  efiicient  general,  who  pursued  the 
Insurgents  like  a  tiger  hunting  his  prey.  Of  him  you 
shall  hear  more  later.  •  Morelos  escaped  from  him  with 
only  a  few  soldiers,  and  for  months  eluded  the  Royal- 
ists, but  was  finally  captured  as  he  and  a  small  detach- 
ment were  escorting  his  beloved  Congress,  of  which  he 

202 


THE  REVOLUTION  EOR  INDEPENDEl^^CE 

was  so  proud,  to  Tehuacan  in  the  extreme  south.     And 
that,  you  may  imagine,  was  the  end  of  the  career  of 

the  brave  Morelos,  for  he  was  taken  to  the   City  of    ^ 

Mexico  and  tried  by  the  Holy  Inquisition.  The  sen- 
tence pronounced  upon  him  was  death,  and  he  was 
executed  by  the  Spaniards  in  December,  1815.  God  — ^ 
rest  his  souh  He  too  had  given  his  all  for  Liberty. 
But  his  ever-glorious  name  has  been  given  to  the  city 
once  called  Valladolid,  and  also  to  the  state  containing 
the  village  of  Cuautla,  where  he  held  out  for  so  long 
against  the  Spaniards. 

And  now  it  looked  surely  as  if  the  Revolution  must 
be  given  up,  for  the  Royalists  were  successful  nearly 
everywhere.  To  add  to  this,  a  new  Viceroy  had  come 
over,  Juan  de  Apodoca,  a  man  whose  mouth  dripped 
with  promises  and  honeyed  words,  by  this  means  win- 
ning many  of  our  people  over  to  his  side.  But  a  few 
stubborn  spirits  still  held  out,  and  in  the  distant  moun- 
tains nursed  the  flickering  flame  of  rebellion.  The 
most  renowned  of  these  and  the  most  hated  by  the 
Spaniards  were  Guadalupe  Victoria  and  Vicente  — h 
Guerrero.  Gjierrero,  like  Morelos,  had  been  a  mule- 
driver,  and  had  joined  the  Revolution  in  its  early  days. 
We  Mexicans  tell  of  him  that  he  was  a  thousand  times 
defeated,  a  thousand  times  conqueror,  and  that  his  body 
was  full  of  wounds.  Yet  always  he  fought  on,  win- 
ning at  last  in  the  years  1818  and  1819  several  vie-  — T 
tories  over  the  Spaniards,  and  making  it  possible  for 

203 


MEXICO 

a  Eevolutionary  Congress  again  to  hold  meetings.  Our 
people  became  encouraged  and  many  fresh  converts 
joined  the  ranks. 

By  now,  Senorita,  my  great-grand-dad  Pipila  was 
well  over  his  troubles,  being  dead,  so  I  have  no  longer 
his  account  to  give  you ;  but  what  I  tell  you  of  the 
later  events  of  the  Revolution  is  all  true,  and  you  will 
find  it  so  in  the  books. 

You  heard  me  speak  of  the  Royalist  General,  Augus- 
tin  de  Iturbide,  the  Terrible.  N"ow  he  was  a  native 
Mexican  on  his  mother's  side,  and  should  have  had 
sympathy  with  his  people;  but  he  was  rich,  and  by 
nature  aristocratic,  so  he  cared  not  what  became  of  the 
poor.  And  all  this  while  he  fought  on  the  Royalist 
side.  But  presently  things  happened  to  make  him 
change  his  mind — he  and  many  other  men  and  priests, 
who  formerly  liad  opposed  tlie  Kevohition  with  all  their 
might.  But  what  these  things  were,  our  people  at 
the  time  had  no  idea. 

You  see,  the  fighters  off  in  the  mountains  little  knew 
of  the  changes  occurring  in  Spain.  But  it  seems  that 
a  Liberal  j^arty  not  unlike  our  Revolutionaries  had 
come  into  power  there,  and  had  forced  the  King,  Fer- 
dinand VII,  to  do  just  as  they  commanded,  and  make 
many  changes  in  his  government.  He  had  to  call  a 
new  Liberal  Congress,  choose  Liberal  ministers,  abolish 
the  Inquisition,  free  the  press,  and,  in  fact,  not  govern 
as  he  wished,  but  as  his  people  wished. 

204 


THE  REVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

Now  this  state  of  affairs  alarmed  the  Royalists  in 
Mexico  very  sorely.  For  they  saw  that  when  the  new 
Liberal  Viceroy,  Juan  O'Donoju  (of  Irish  descent, 
Senorita,  as  one  may  tell  by  his  name)  should  come 
over,  all  would  not  be  so  fine  for  them  as  it  had  been. 
They  might  lose  some  of  their  ill-gotten  gains  and 
privileges,  and  the  people  might  gain  some  of  the  things 
for  which  they  had  been  fighting.  So  these  Royalists 
resolved  that  the  time  had  come  at  last  to  join  the 
Revolutionists  in  freeing  the  country  from  Spain;  but 
not,  like  the  Revolutionists,  because  they  desired  more 
freedom  in  Mexico,  but  because  they  desired  less.^ 

General  Iturbide,  who  was  in  sympathy  with  these 
plans,  got  himself  the  command  in  the  South,  where 
Guerrero  was  fighting,  and  after  several  unsuccessful 

^  The  historians  L.  Gutierrez  De  Lara  and  Edgcumb  Pinchon 
in  "The  Mexican  People"  are  very  explicit  in  giving  the  rea- 
sons why  the  Royalists  desired  independence  from  Spain  as 
stated  above.  Other  historians  are  more  reticent,  but  I  cannot 
find  anything  to  contradict  the  opinion  of  the  authors  just  quoted. 
Cf.  the  account  of  the  reliable  historian,  Arthur  Howard  Noll,  in 
"A  Short  History  of  Mexico."  "When  the  liberal  constitution  was 
that  year  proclaimed  in  Spain  it  was  evident  to  Iturbide  that  a 
crisis  was  pending  in  Mexico,  and  he  determined  to  gain  for  him- 
self a  higher  position  in  the  new  order  of  things  than  the  Span- 
ish government  could  offer,  even  if  it  succeeded  in  maintaining 
itself.  He  attached  himself  to  the  ecclesiastics  and  more  politic 
of  the  Spaniards,  Creoles,  and  Mexican  leaders,  and  after  many 
conferences  a  program  of  action  was  duly  adopted,  though  kept 
secret  for  a  time.  Independence  and  separation  from  Spain 
were  to  be  secured,  but  by  themselves,  not  by  the  already  exist- 
ing party  of  revolutionists,  and  by  the  terms  of  the  compact  a 
Mexican  representative  monarchy  was  to  be  erected,  ruled  by  a. 
King  of  Spanish  royal  blood.  It  was  a  scheme  calculated  to 
conciliate  all  the  various  factions  in  the  country — to  attract  evea 
the  stanc'hest  Royalists^" 

205 


MEXICO 

battles  with  this  brave  Insurgent  chief,  invited  him 
to  a  conference.  Guerrero  attended.  What  was  his 
surprise  to  find  that  Iturbide  wished  to  join  forces 
with  him  against  the  government !  After  some  hesita- 
tion, he  accepted,  and  handed  over  his  command  to 
Iturbide. 

So  the  Revolutionary  Army  became  very  large  and 
irresistible,  and  when  the  new  Viceroy,  Juan  O'Donoju, 
arrived,  he  found  the  movement  for  independence  in 
control  of  the  whole  country.  So  he  and  Iturbide  met 
peaceably  at  Cordoba,  and  proclaimed  Mexico  inde- 
pendent from  Spain.  And  soon  after,  the  combined 
army  of  former  Royalists  and  the  Revolutionaries 
marched,  amid  great  rejoicings,  into  the  Capital. 
They  called  themselves  the  Army  of  the  Three  Guaran- 
tees, standing  for  Religion,  Union,  and  Independence. 
Our  flag  to-day  in  its  three  colors  symbolizes  these  guar- 
antees: white  for  religion,^  red  for  independence,  green 
for  union. 

So,  every  one  was  happy,  except  possibly  the  peons, 
who  had  given  so  freely  of  their  lives  from  the  first 
in  the  cause  of  liberty,  and  who  were  now  for  a  long 
time  no  better  oft"  than  before.  For  the  Army  and  the 
Church  and  the  rich  land-owners  were  still  in  power, 
and  the  peon  had  to  toil  for  them  without  reward. 
Perhaps    it   was    as    well    that    my    great-grandfather 

*  The  religious  guarantee  established  the  Roman  Catholic  re- 
Hgion  without  toleration  of  any  other. 

206 


THE  EEVOLUTION  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

Pipila  had  gone  to  his  long  rest,  for  there  would  have 
been  no  rest  for  him  here  below.  But  all  the  same,  his 
was  a  good  deed,  and  it  was  the  flaming  torch  of  Liberty 
that  he  carried  that  set  fire  to  the  Spanish  door;  and 
that  torch  kindled  a  fire  in  Mexico  that  has  never  yet 
gone  out. 


CHAPTER  XV 
ITURBIDE  AND  SANTA  ANNA 

On  July  21,  1822,  there  occurred  in  the  great 
Cathedral  of  the  City  of  Mexico  a  solemn  and  imposing- 
ceremony.  This  was  the  anointing  and  crowning  of 
Iturbide  and  his  wife  as  Emperor  and  Empress  of 
Mexico.  A  strange  result  of  the  struggle  of  the  demo- 
crats for  freedom ! 

|It  was  the  Church  and  aristocracy,  who  had  joined 
with  the  real  Revolutionists  to  free  the  country  from 
Spain,  who  had  brought  this  about.  The  army,  always 
under  their  influence,  had  first  proclaimed  Iturbide 
Emperor,  and  the  movement  had  been  referred  by  the 
general  himself  to  Congress,  which,  with  soldiers  sur- 
rounding its  hall,  at  once  voted  to  the  same  effect. 

But  uneasy  lies  the  head  that  wears  a  crown.  Be- 
fore a  month  had  passed  there  was  rebellion  on  all 
sides.  The  patriots  of  tl^e  Revolution  had  not  fought, 
bled  and  died  in  order  that  the  country  should  be  ruled 
by  an  autocrat.  Bravo,  Guerrero,  Victoria,  all  the  old 
war-horses  of  the  former  struggle,  took  up  the  fight 
again.     They  had  a  new  ally,  a  handsome  young  gen- 

208 


ITUEBIDE  AND  SANTA  ANNA 

eral,   of   quiet  and  melancholy  appearance  but  great 
energy — Antonio  Lopez  de  Santa  Anna.     Santa  Anna    -X- 
had    first   distinguished   himself   in   Mexican   warfare 
during  the  previous  year  by  helping  to  expel  the  Royal- 
ists from  Vera  Cruz. 

Iturbide  meanwhile  hastened  his  own  downfall  by 
arbitrarily  dissolving  Congress,  raising  forced  loans, 
and  issuing  edicts  in  a  truly  despotic  manner. 

Suddenly,  on  the  sixth  of  December,  Santa  Anna  in  — [- 
Vera  Cruz  proclaimed  the  plan  of  Casa  Mata,  which 
made  Mexico  a  Republic.  It  was  approved  by  the 
army,  and  Iturbide  suddenly  found  himself  an  Em- 
peror without  an  Empire.  Unwillingly  he  abdicated 
the  throne  he  had  held  so  short  a  time,  and  stole  out  of 
the  capital,  as  so  many  defeated  Mexican  leaders  have 
done  before  and  since.  Congress  met  at  once  and  ban- 
ished him  from  the  country.  In  consideration  of  his 
great  services  during  the  Revolution,  however,  it  voted 
him  an  annual  income  of  $25,000  for  life,  provided 
that  he  stayed  in  Italy. 

The  ex-Emperor  went  to  Italy,  but  he  could  not  stay 
there!  Mexico  possesses  a  strange  fascination,  which 
lures  her  exiles  back  to  her,  even  at  the  risk  of  their 
lives.  Iturbide  changed  his  residence  to  London,  from 
which  place,  hearing  of  a  threatened  attempt  by  the 
Holy  Alliance  to  restore  Spanish  power  in  Mexico,  he 
wrote  to  Congress  offering  his  services  to  prevent  such 
action.     Congress  was  very  uneasy  at   receiving  this 

209 


MEXICO 

letter.  Iturbide's  popularity  with  the  army  was  not 
forgotten,  and  it  was  feared  that  his  return  would  bring 
about  another  revolution.  Accordingly  an  act  was 
passed  ordering  his  execution  as  a  traitor  if  he  ever 
again  set  foot  on  Mexican  soil. 

Meanwhile  the  rash  general  had  set  forth  from 
Southampton,  England,  with  his  family  in  a  little  sail- 
ing vessel.  On  the  fourteenth  of  July,  1824,  his  ship 
appeared  outside  the  port  of  Soto  la  Marina.  Jturbide 
landed.  He  was  recognized  at  once  by  the  general  of 
the  troops  of  that  part  of  the  country,  who  arrested  him, 
telling  him  that  he  had  only  a  few  hours  to  live.  Itur- 
bide  was  astounded.  It  was  the  first  he  had  heard  of 
the  decree.  In  vain  he  begged  for  mercy.  The  author- 
ities were  pitiless.  Five  days  after  landing,  the  former 
Emperor  was  shot  in  front  of  the  church  at  Padilla, 
declaring  with  his  last  breath : 

"I  die  because  I  came  to  help  you.  I  die  gladly,  be- 
cause I  die  among  you.  I  die  with  honor,  not  as  a 
traitor!" 

Some  Mexicans  consider  Iturbide  a  hero.  This  is 
open  to  doubt.  He  does  not  stand  with  the  best  of 
Mexico's  prominent  men ;  but  neither  is  he  among  the 
worst.  He  allowed  his  own  longing  for  power  and 
glory  to  interfere  with  the  slow  and  faltering,  but  irre- 
sistible, movement  of  the  country  towards  democracy, 
and  it  was  for  that  reason  that  he  was  sacrificed. 
Mexican  history  is  full  of  such  events,  which  seem  cruel 

210 


ITUKBIDE  AND  SANTA  ANNA 

and  violent,  but  are  perhaps  inevitable,  considering  the 
liot-blooded  character  of  the  people  and  the  long-drawn- 
out  conflict  between  their  desire  for  liberty  and  the 
strong  forces  continually  at  work  to  thwart  it. 

Though  Iturbide's  emperorship  cost  him  his  life,  his 
services  to  his  country  during  the  Hevolution  have  won 
him  grateful  remembrance.  The  inscription  placed  on 
the  house  where  he  was  born,  in  Morelia,  contains 
enough  of  glory  for  any  man.     It  reads  simply : 

Ituebide,  Libertador  de  Mexico 

The  young  general  Santa  Anna  is  the  next  figure  to 
take  the  center  of  the  stage  in  the  Mexican  drama — 
which  now  becomes  as  complicated  of  plot  as  a  moving- 
picture  weekly  serial !  The  simile  is  especially  appro- 
priate, for  Santa  Anna  resembles  nothing  so  much  as 
one  of  the  deep,  dark  villains  of  these  productions,  who 
are  foiled  one  week  only  to  pop  up  serenely  with  fresh 
deeds  of  wickedness  the  next. 

Don  Felix  Fernandez  Victoria,  the  Revolutionary 
general,  called  by  the  people  Guadalupe  Victoria,  be- 
cause he  was  supposed  to  be  especially  favored  by  Our 
Lady  of  Guadalupe,  was  elected  President  of  the  new 
Mexican  Republic  in  1824.  Wonderful  to  relate,  his 
first  two  years  in  office  passed  without  any  disturbance. 
During  Victoria's  time  Congress  decreed  the  expulsion 
of  the  Spaniards  from  Mexico.  This  was  not  strange, 
considering  how  cruel  and  arrogant  the  Spaniards  had 

211 


4- 


MEXICO 

been  there,  but  it  had  the  bad  effect  of  driving  much 
wealth  and  intelligence  out  of  the  country.  This  Con- 
gress also  adopted  the  Constitution  of  1824,  a  progres- 
sive document  modeled  somewhat  after  that  of  the 
United  States.  Unfortunately,  it  needed  more  than 
a  Constitution  to  ensure  progress  in  Mexico.  The 
trouble  with  the  country  was  and  is,  almost  up  to  the 
present  time,  the  absence  of  an  intelligent  middle  class 
such  as  forms  the  greater  part  of  the  population  of  the 
United  States  and  other  prosperous  countries.  A  pub- 
lic school  system  such  as  ours  has  never  prevailed  in 
Mexico.  The  peons  who  form  the  great  mass  of  the 
population  are  almost  entirely  uneducated ;  they  do 
not  know  how  to  protect  themselves  against  the  selfish 
military  chieftains  who  wrestle  for  supremacy. 

Another  important  action  of  Victoria's  Congress  was 
the  throwing  open  of  Texas  to  colonization  from  the 
United  States. 

Guadalupe  Victoria  managed  to  finish  his  term  of 
office,  though  not  without  putting  down  two  revolutions. 
In  the  presidential  election  of  1828,  the  existence  of 
two  great  political  parties  was  very  evident.  These 
were  the  Liberals  and  the  Conservatives,  the  latter  in- 
cluding the  Church  party.  Pedrazaj_the  Conservative 
candidate,  was  elected  by  two  votes  over  Guerrero  the 
Liberal.  Upon  this  Santa  Anna,  who  was  then  Liberal, 
headed  an  armed  uprising,  or,  as  the  Mexican  expres- 
sion goes,  pronounced  against  the  government.     Owing 

212 


ITUEBIDE  AND  SANTA  ANNA 

to  the  disturbance,  Pedraza  finally  left  the  Republic. 
Congress  then  declared  in  favor  of  Guerrero. 

Just  at  this  time  Spain,  somewhat  late  in  the  day, 
sent  an  expedition  to  recover  her  lost  colony.  Santa 
Anna,  without  waiting  for  any  orders,  fitted  out  a 
force  in  Vera  Cruz  and  advanced  against  the  invaders. 
He  came,  ho  saw,  he  conquered !  The  Spanish  com- 
mander capitulated  after  two  days  and  returned  to 
Cuba  with  the  remains  of  his  army.  Spain's  power  in  ~ 
Mexico  was  annihilated  forever.  Needless  to  say, 
General  Santa  Anna  was  showered  with  the  thanks  of 
his  grateful  people.  He  was  made  Minister  of  War  -^ 
and  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  army  under  President 
Guerrero. 

No  sooner-  did  Santa  Anna  find  himself  in  this  com- 
manding position  than  he  used  his  power  to  overthrow 
Guerrero's  government  and  put  the  Vice-President, 
Bustamente,  in  his  place.  Guerrero,  having  only  a  few 
troops  faithful  to  him,  withdrew  to  the  mountains  of 
the  south,  where  he  had  held  his  own  for  so  long  dur- 
ing the  Revolution.  The  government,  that  is,  Busta- 
mente and  Santa  Anna,  finding  that  they  could  not 
dislodge  him  from  there  by  fair  means,  paid  a  spy 
$27,000  to  decoy  him  on  board  a  sailing  vessel  at 
Acapulco,  on  which  he  was  taken  to  another  port,  given 
a  military  trial,  condemned  to  death,  and  shot.  This 
murder  of  the  brave  old  General,  which  occurred  on 

213 


MEXICO 

February  15,  1831,  is  one  of  the  blackest  blots  on 
Santa  Anna's  far  from  spotless  record. 

Santa  Anna  did  not  long  remain  loyal  to  Bustamente, 
but  pronounced  again  in  favor  of  Pedraza,  who  was 
legally  still  President.  However,  early  in  1833  Santa 
Anna  condescended  to  become  President  himself,  and 
was  soon  made  Dictator  by  the  devoted  army.  He  pres- 
ently had  an  opportunity  to  show  his  military  skill  in 
an  expedition  against  the  Texans. 

The  chapter  of  Texas  is  one  of  the  saddest  in  Mex- 
ico's history,  because  it  is  so  full  of  "might-have-beens." 
If  Mexico  had  only  possessed  a  firm  government,  in- 
stead of  one  as  shifting  as  the  sand,  the  Texan  war 
would,  in  all  human  probability,  never  have  happened, 
and  Mexico  would  have  been  the  richer  by  more  than 
half  a  million  square  miles  of  valuable  territory.  The 
story  of  Texas  is  not  altogether  pleasant  reading  either 
to  the  nation  who,  secure  in  her  strength  and  her  strict 
obedience  to  the  letter  of  the  law,  wrested  by  force  of 
arms  from  a  disorganized  and  weaker  country  so  large 
a  portion  of  her  territory.  The  United  States  seemed 
in  this  affair  altogether  too  like  a  big  boy  who  made 
a  little  one's  peevishness  and  bad  behavior  an  excuse 
for  depriving  him  of  some  coveted  possession.  But  in 
1848  "the  rights  of  small  nations"  was  not  yet  a  popu- 
lar phrase.  When  we  contrast  the  present  flourishing 
condition    of    California,    New    Mexico,    Arizona    and 

214 


ITUiRBIDE  AND  SANTA  ANNA 

Texas  with  the  distracting  state  of  things  just  across 
the  border,  we  cannot  help  feeling  that  our  action,  sel- 
fish as  it  may  have  been,  has  turned  out  for  the  best. 
But  that  doesn't  make  the  Mexicans  love  us  any  the 
better  1 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  REVOLT  OF  TEXAS 

Mexico,  after  the  founding  of  the  Republic  in  1824, 
had  thrown  wide  open  to  foreigners  the  northern  part 
of  her  domain,  the  far-flung  stretches  of  grassy  prairies 
and  sandy  deserts  included  in  the  Mexican  State  of 
Texas.  From  one  point  of  view  she  did  well,  for  all 
former  attempts  on  her  part  and  that  of  Spain  to  colo- 
nize this  tract  of  laud  had  failed  ignominiously.  In 
vain  had  the  courageous  missionaries,  backed  up  by 
soldiers,  tried  to  establish  posts  and  missions  in  this 
region  for  nearly  three  centuries.  Few  of  these  set- 
tlements were  lasting.  The  Indians  of  the  east  were 
not  attracted  by  the  tame  life  of  labor  and  obedience 
offered  them  by  the  priests;  they  lived  near  the  mis- 
sions only  as  long  as  the  supply  of  gifts  held  out,  and 
then  went  back  to  their  roving  existence.  The  western 
missions  were  harassed  and  often  destroyed  by  the  fierce 
Comanches  and  Apaches,  the  scourge  of  Mexico's 
northern  border.  Until  the  last  quarter  of  the  17th 
century  there  was  no  Spanish  settlement  east  or  north 
of  the  Rio  Grande  except  Santa  Fe,  and  no  other,  in- 

216 


THE  KEVOLT  OF  TEXAS 

deed,  in  the  whole  of  the  Gulf  shore  region  between 
that  and  San  Aiigustin  in  Florida. 

Meanwhile,  the  brave  attempt  of  the  French  under 
La  Salle  and  others  to  plant  colonies  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi  and  in  Texas  in  the  Gulf  region  only 
resu  ced  in  keeping  a  hold  in  that  part  of  the  country 
for  England.  |In  1803  iN'apoleon  sold  Louisiana  to 
the  United  States.  This  meant  the  land  from  the 
Mississippi  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  from  Canada 
to  Mexico,  and  took  in  nearly  all  of  Texas.  But  in 
1819,  the  United  States  in  purchasing  Florida  from 
Spain  gave  it  Texas  in  exchange. 

Thus  in  the  early  part  of  the  19th  century,  Spain 
and  England  faced  each  other  across  the  indeterminate 
border  separating  Texas  from  ,the  American  territory. 
At  this  time,  all  that  remained  of  the  twenty-five  mis- 
sions and  forts  founded  first  and  last  in  Texas  soil 
by  the  Spanish  were  the  little  Spanish  settlements  of 
San  Antonio  (or  Bejas),  Goliad  (or  La  Bahia),  and 
iN^acogdoches. 

The  Anglo-Americans  had  begun  to  enter  Texas  be- 
fore the  end  of  the  18th  century.  During  the  years 
1799  to  1801,  a  mysterious  individual  named  Thomas 
I^olan,  a  protege  of  General  James  Wilkinson,  com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  United  States  army,  made  sev- 
eral expeditions  into  the  Spanish  province  with  a  gang 
of  men,  ostensibly  to  trade  for  wild  horses.  The  Span- 
iards feared,  not  without  reason,  that  he  meant  to  con- 

217 


MEXICO 

quer  Texas  with  the  help  of  the  Indians.  The  Spanish 
soldiers  attacked  his  camp  at  the  south  fork  of  the  Red 
River.  Nolan  was  killed  and  the  little  hand  captured. 
A  Quaker,  Ephraim  Blackburn,  was  chosen  by  lot  to  be 
hanged.  The  rest  were  sent  to  Spanish  penal  settle- 
ments. Thus  were  the  Spanish  ideas  of  justice  satis- 
fied. 

The  ferocity  of  the  Spanish  could  not  keep  tne  wild 
characters  of  the  pioneer  states  of  Kentucky,  Louisiana, 
and  other  parts  of  the  southwest  from  entering  their 
territory.  When  the  Revolution  began  in  Mexico,  such 
men  sympathized  with  the  insurgents  in  their  struggle 
for  independence.  Gutierrez,  one  of  Hidalgo's  officers, 
having  fled  from  Mexico,  entered  again  from  the  Texas 
side,  and  easily  succeeded  in  getting  an  ex-lieutenant  of 
the  United  States  army  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-eight 
daring  men  to  join  him.  Many  of  these  came  from  a 
tract  of  land  called  the  Neutral  Ground,  because,  ow- 
ing to  border  disputes,  it  belonged  neither  to  the  United 
States  nor  to  Spain,  and  aiforded  a  resort  for  des- 
peradoes. This  expedition  was  soon  in  the  thick  of 
the  Revolutionary  struggle,  but  found  the  warfare,  in 
which  the  wounded  and  captured  of  the  opposite  side 
were  always  butchered,  too  bloody  for  their  Anglo- 
Saxon  tastes,  and  escaped  from  it  as  soon  as  possible. 

Still  another  party,  led  by  James  Long,  organized  a 
filibustering  expedition  into  Texas  in  1821.  Their 
plan    was    to    make    Texas    an    independent    republic. 

218 


THE  EEVOLT  OF  TEXAS 

They  were  helped  by  the  Mexican  Liberals  and  were 
well  treated  on  the  whole,  but  the  aifair  was  not  suc- 
cessful. 

During  the  fir^  years  of  the  19  th  century,  the  Gulf 
coast  of  Texas  swarmed  with  pirates,  who  found  the 
dangerous,  low-lying  shores,  protected  by  long,  bare 
islands,  ideal  places  of  refuge.  Galveston  Island,  oppo- 
site Galveston  Bay  at  the  mouth  of  the  Trinity,  was  a 
noted  pirate  and  slave-trading  rendezvous,  sheltering 
at  one  time  over  four  hundred  men  of  these  gentle 
professions.  The  most  celebrated  pirate  of  this  period 
was  Jean  Lafitte,  who  had  plied  his  trade  in  the  West 
Indies,  and  then  off  the  Island  of  Barataria  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  He  ran  an  organized  gov- 
ernment on  Galveston  Island,  which  was  in  touch  with 
the  Liberal  government  in  Mexico.  He  built  fortifica- 
tions on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Galveston,  and 
the  flourishing  town  of  Campeachy  sprang  up,  founded 
on  piracy.  He  claimed  that  he  only  attacked  Spanish 
ships,  and  that  he  felt  justified  by  the  cruel  treatment 
he  had  once  received  from  a  Spanish  captain ;  but  his 
men  were  not  narrow  in  their  views,  and  preyed  upon 
United  States  vessels  also.  The  attention  of  the  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  was  finally  drawn  to  these 
merry  men,  and  their  nest  was  rudely  destroyed. 

Meanwhile,  settlers  of  a  better  class  than  filibusterers 
and  pirates  had  their  eyes  on  Texas.  In  1819,  a  New 
Englander,  Moses  Austin,  who  had  lived  some  time  in 

219 


MEXICO 

Missouri,  determined  to  found  a  colony  there.  He  died 
before  he  could  carry  out  his  purpose,  but  his  son 
Stephen  took  up  the  project  and  entered  the  country 
with  a  few  men  just  in  time  to  witness  the  rejoicings  at 
the  news  of  the  independence  of  Mexico.  After  much 
trouble  and  many  journeys  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  he 
obtained  permission  from  the  authorities  to  establish 
his  colony  with  three  hundred  families ;  and  this  colony 
after  two  years  of  weakness  and  insecurity  took  root 
and  flourished.  It  was  the  beginning  of  the  modern 
population  of  Texas;  a  sturdy  slip  of  Anglo-Saxon 
civilization  planted  in  Mexican  soil.  Of  course,  these 
hardy.,  adventurous  men  did  not  change  their  character 
or  adopt  Mexican  ways  when  they  moved  across  the 
Hio  Grande.  From  the  first  they  clung  to  their  own 
institutions,  including  slavery,  free  speech,  popular 
elections,  and  practical  self-government. 

At  that  time  Texas  was  joined  with  the  neighboring 
State  of  Coahuila.  In  1825,  this  joint  state  passed  a 
law  encouraging  immigration.  Jt  invited  the  entry  of 
immigrants  and  guaranteed  them  security  of  person  and 
property  and  the  right  to  engage  in  any  calling  they 
might  choose.  The  persons  who  brought  in  colonists 
were  called  empresarios.  Many  immigrants  were  thus 
attracted.  In  1827,  there  were  ten  thousand  people 
there,  exclusive  of  Indians,  and  in  1830,  nearly  twenty 
thousand.  Austin's  colony  continued  to  be  the  main 
influence.     The  United  States  had  succeeded  in  a  few 

220 


THE  liEVOLT  .OF  TEXAS 

years  in  a  colonization  which  the  Spaniards  had  failed 
to  accomplish  during  three  centuries. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  Mexicans  regretted  this 
state  of  things.  ,In  the  iirst  flush  of  success,  the  new 
Kepublic  had  wished  to  open  its  gates  to  the  Republic 
at  the  north ;  but  soon  differences  of  race  and  tempera- 
ment began  to  make  themselves  felt.  Besides,  Mexico 
knew  that  the  United  States  secretly  longed  to  possess 
Texas,  for  she  had  twice  made  offers  to  purchase  it — 
offers  which  were  indignantly  refused. 

Under  Bustamente's  government,  Mexico  passed  laws 
which  made  colonization  by  the  Americans  difficult,  and 
in  1830,  she  forbade  colonization  in  Texas  altogether. 
Laws  by  which  the  colonists  had  been  protected  were 
repealed,  troops  were  stationed  at  various  points  in 
Texas,  and  forts  built  at  the  most  thriving  towns  of  the 
colonists.  The  civil  authority  held  by  the  empresarios 
was  taken  away,  and  martial  law  substituted. 

As  an  example  of  the  way  these  things  were  managed 
— a  Mexican  colonel  entered  upon  his  duties  in  Goliad 
by  holding  up  the  Mayor  of  the  town  at  the  point  of 
the  gun,  and  forcing  him  to  deliver  up  the  funds  of  the 
municipal  treasury  to  the  amount  of  five  thousand  dol- 
lars. He  then  proceeded  forcibly  to  disarm  the  citizens 
of  the  district  of  Bejar,  which  was  especially  open  to 
the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  He  impressed  the  best  of 
the  citizens  into  the  army  and  finally  compelled  every 
family  to  support  five  soldiers. 

221 


MEXICO 

The  American  frontiersmen  were  not  people  to  stand 
this  sort  of  treatment  quietly.  They  organized  for  de- 
fense and  captured  nearly  all  of  the  Spanish  forts.  In 
so  doing,  they  proclaimed,  and  rightly,  that  they  were 
fighting  for  the  defense  of  their  homes  and  of  the 
Mexican  Constitution  of  1824,  which  had  heen  cast 
aside  by  the  present  military  despots.  They  had  as 
yet  no  desire  to  separate  from  the  Republic,  but  invited 
the  other  Mexican  states  to  join  them.  They  formed 
a  temporary  government,  elected  a  governor,  and  ap- 
pointed General  Sam  Houston  commander-in-chief  of 
their  army. 

Sam  Houston  was  a  picturesque  border  character, 
Scotch-Irish  by  birth  and  Cherokee-Indian  by  adoption, 
who  had  worked  up  from  early  surroundings  ruder  even 
than  Lincoln's,  to  become  Governor  of  Tennessee,  and 
then  a  Member  of  the  !N^ational  Congress.  After  con- 
sultation with  President  Andrew  Jackson,  he  left  Wash- 
ington suddenly  and  appeared  in  Texas.  He  made  no 
secret  of  the  fact  that  he  had  come  to  conquer  Texas 
from  the  Mexicans.  The  Texans  flocked  to  his  stand- 
ard. ^Nevertheless,  his  army  never  numbered  more 
than  ten  thousand  men,  poorly  equipped  with  rifles  and 
hunting-knives.  With  these  he  planned  to  wrest  Texas 
from  a  country  having  a  population  of  eight  millions 
and  a  large  standing  army. 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Santa  Anna  flew  to  the 
north  to  stamp  out  the  rebellion.     In  February,  1836, 

222 


THE  KEVOLT  OF  TEXAS 

he  arrived  with  a  large  number  of  soldiers  oefore  San 
Antonio.  Colonel  Travis,  a  brave  young  Texan  officer, 
withdrew  to  the  Alamo,  a  deserted  mission,  named 
after  the  cottonwood  trees  growing  near  by,  with  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  including  the  celebrated 
fighter,  Davy  Crockett.  Santa  Anna  and  his  soldiers 
began  the  siege  of  this  building.  Travis  had  sent  a 
messenger  for  reinforcements,  saying  in  his  letter,  "I 
will  never  surrender  or  retreat."  He  kept  his  word. 
The  reinforcements  did  not  come.  He  and  his  men 
fought  desperately,  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  odds. 
Their  struggle  was  of  course  hopeless. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sunday,  March 
6,  the  Mexicans  made  an  assault  and  carried  the  gar- 
rison. Santa  Anna  and  his  soldiers  swarmed  in 
through  the  breaches  and  over  the  walls.  Of  all  the 
garrison,  all  but  four  or  five  died  fighting.  Those  were 
shot  down  in  cold  blood  by  the  bloodthirsty  commanding 
officer.  Another  laurel  was  added  to  Santa  Anna's 
wreath — the  Massacre  of  the  Alamo.  It  was  to  sting 
him  like  a  nettle  before  very  long. 

At  Goliad,  shortly  after,  Santa  Anna  was  responsible 
for  the  murder  of  sixty  wounded  Texans  who  had  sur- 
rendered on  condition  that  they  should  be  treated  as 
prisoners  of  war  according  to  the  usages  of  civilized 
nations. 

These  outrages,  like  the  "frightfulness"  of  the  Ger- 
mans at  the  present  time,  did  not  daunt  the  enemy,  but 

223 


MEXICO 

only  aroused  in  tnem  a  firmer  determination  to  con- 
quer. At  the  battle  of  the  San  Jacinto  River  on  the 
twenty-first  of  April,  1836,  a  small  number  of  Ameri- 
cans under  General  Houston,  charging  to  the  war-cry 
of  "Remember  the  Alamo,"  defeated  about  1500  Mexi- 
cans. The  Texans  lost  only  8  killed  and  17  wounded; 
they  captured  seven  hundred  of  the  enemy,  including 
the  redoubtable  Santa  x^nna  himself.  The  Texans 
wished  the  latter  to  have  the  fate  he  had  meted  out  to 
so  many  others,  but  General  Houston  spared  him.  He 
signed  a  treaty  promising  to  cease  hostilities ;  went  to 
Washington,  where  he  was  entertained  by  President 
Jackson ;  the  next  year  was  released,  on  the  promise  to 
go  home  and  secure  the  Mexican  recognition  of  Texan 
independence.  Of  course,  when  he  reached  Mexico,  he 
did  nothing  of  the  sort,  but  busied  himself  in  making 
excuses  for  the  failure  of  his  campaign,  and  in  explain- 
ing that  he  had  only  signed  the  treaty  under  force  and 
had  not  meant  a  word  of  it.  Being  still  coldly  received 
by  the  Mexicans,  he  retreated  to  his  hacienda,  to  wait 
until  the  memory  of  recent  events  should  blow  over. 

He  soon  had  an  opportunity  to  regain  his  prestige. 
In  1838,  the  French  government  sent  a  fleet  to  Mexico 
to  demand  payment  of  damages  incurred  by  French 
citizens  during  the  recent  wars.  The  chief  of  these  was 
a  claim  of  $60,000  for  pastry  stolen  from  a  French 
cook  by  revolutionists ;  therefore  the  whole  affair  was 
called  ''The  Claim  for  Pie,"  or  ''The  Pastry  War," 

224 


The  Alamo. 


THJi  KiivOLT  0_b   TEXAS 

under  which  name  it  has  gone  down  into  history.  The 
Mexican  government  refused  to  pay,  whereupon  the 
French  forces  under  the  Prince  de  Joinville  captured 
the  fortress  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua  and  occupied  Vera 
Cruz  on  December  5,  1838.  Six  hundred  Mexicans 
were  killed  in  the  struggle. 

Santa  Anna  hastened  to  the  sea-coast  and  defeated 
the  foreigners  at  Vera  Cruz  in  a  well-fought  battle,  and 
forced  them  to  return  to  their  ships.  During  the  fight- 
ing he  was  wounded  severely  in  one  leg,  which  had  to  be 
amputated.  From  now  on  he  possessed  a  firm  hold  on 
the  nation's  gratitude!  He  purchased  a  wooden  leg, 
and  afterwards,  at  the  height  of  his  popularity,  had  the 
missing  part  of  his  anatomy  interred  with  great  cere- 
mony in  the  Cathedral  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Mexico,  however,  finally  paid  the  French  claim. 


CHAPTEK  XVII 
WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Texas  was  now  an  independent  republic.  On  the 
red,  white  and  blue  of  her  flag  she  displayed  a  lone 
star ;  and  in  the  hearts  of  her  people  the  memory  of  the 
Alamo  and  the  other  Mexican  atrocities  was  burned  so 
deep  that  they  were  ready  to  shed  the  last  drop  of  their 
blood  to  defend  their  newly  gained  freedom.  But  the 
short-sighted  politicians  at  the  Mexican  capital  did  not 
realize  this.  They  talked  boastfully  of  reconquering 
Texas;  but  they  were  so  busy  in  starting  revolutions 
or  in  holding  their  own  against  them  that  when  it  came 
to  the  point  they  could  spend  neither  the  time  nor  the 
money  for  a  serious  effort.  The  few  expeditions  that 
were  sent  against  the  former  province  only  had  the 
effect  of  exasperating  the  Texans  and  increasing  the 
desire  already  felt  by  the  Anglo-Saxons  to  defend  them- 
selves by  joining  with  the  strong  nation  of  their  own 
blood  at  the  north. 

Twice  during  the  next  few  yeai;^  during  Andrew 
Jackson's  administration  and  Van  Buren's,  Texas  peti- 

226 


WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

tioned  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States,  and  twice  it  --U 
was  refused.  Doubtless  there  was  a  feeling  in  the 
United  States  that  such  action  would  lead  to  trouble 
with  Mexico;  there  were  also  internal  political  reasons 
against  it.  Slavery  was  beginning  to  agitate  the  na- 
tion. The  South  wished  for  the  admission  of  Texas 
because  it  would  increase  the  extent  of  slave-holding 
territory;  the  Northerners  were  opposed  to  it  for  that 
reason.  During  Polk's  administration  the  Republic  of 
the  Lone  Star  again  knocked  at  our  gates ;  this  time  the 
Southern  element  gained  the  day,  and  she  was  admitted,  1_ 
in  March,  1845. 

Mexico  resented  this  step  bitterly.  In  fact,  she  had 
previously  warned  us  that  if  Texas  was  annexed,  it 
meant  war.  General  Almonte,  the  Mexican  Ambassa- 
dor in  Washington,  called  the  annexation  an  act  of 
aggression,  ''the  most  unjust  which  can  be  found  in 
modern  history,"  demanded  his  passports  and  left  the 
country.  Owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  Mexico,  the 
United  States  had  no  representative  there  at  the  time; 
but  it  now  sent  a  special  envoy,  John  Slidell,  to  treat  of 
the  matter  of  Texas  and  the  boundary  disputes  involved 
in  it.  Herrera,  who  occupied  the  Presidential  chair  at 
that  time,  agreed  to  receive  him;  but  by  the  time 
Slidell  reached  Mexico,  Herrera  was  overthrown,  and 
General  Parades  was  in  power.  Parades  was  a  mon- 
archist, hated  the  United  States,  and  refused  to  receive 
our  envoy.     Thus  the  two  nations,  on  the  verge  of  war, 

227 


MEXICO 

had  no  way  to  settle  their  difficulties.  Mexico  would 
neither  declare  war  outright  nor  treat  of  peace. 

The  Mexicans,  ignorant  and  deceived  by  their  fiery 
military  leaders,  were  eager  to  go  to  war  with  the 
United  States.  They  were  sure  that  they,  fighters  and 
descendants  of  fighters,  could  easily  conquer  the 
cowardly,  peace-loving  Northerners.  Troops  hastened 
to  the  northern  border.  At  the  same  time  President 
Polk  sent  General  Zacliary  Taylor,  the  hero  of  the  Flor- 
ida war  with  the  Seminoles,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Grande  with  orders  to  repel  any  invasion  of  the  Texan 
territory  that  might  be  attempted  by  Mexican  forces. 

The  United  States  considered  the  Rio  Grande  the 
southern  boundary  of  Texas;  the  Mexicans  declared 
that  the  Nueces,  some  distance  to  the  north,  was  the 
boundary.  With  two  armies  facing  each  other  across 
disputed  ground,  an  encounter  was  sure  to  take  place. 
It  came  when  a  party  of  Taylor's  dragoons,  were  at- 
tacked in  April,  1846,  in  what  the  United  States 
thought  Texas  territory,  by  Mexican  soldiers  in  ambush. 
When  the  news  reached  the  United  States,  the  whole 
country  was  in  a  blaze  of  excitement.  Congress  voted 
ten  millions  to  carry  on  the  war.  Thousands  of  volun- 
teers flocked  to  the  recruiting  offices.  "Remember  the 
Alamo"  became  the  watchword.  The  real  rights  and 
wrongs  of  the  war  were  disregarded.  It  was  enough 
that  American  blood  had  been  shed  on  Texas  soil. 

Shortly  after  this  encounter,  Taylor's  regulars  de- 
228 


WAK  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

feated  the  Mexicans  at  Palo  Alto  and  the  following  day 
at  Resaca  de  Palma,  in  Texas.  The  Mexicans  fled  in 
wild  disorder,  leaving  all  their  camp  equipment  and 
baggage  behind.  General  Arista  was  recalled  and 
General  Ampiidia  sent  to  take  his  place.  General 
Taylor  marched  his  forces  across  the  Rio  Grande  on 
the  seventeenth  of  May,  and  the  invasion  of  Mexico 
was  begim  in  earnest. 

General  Taylor,  ''Old  Rough-and-Ready,"  as  he  was 
called,  was  as  different  as  possible  from  the  pretentious 
Mexican  officers.  He  looked  like  a  respectable  old 
farmer,  never  wore  a  uniform  unless  it  was  absolutely 
necessary,  but  dressed  most  of  the  time  in  an  old  linen 
suit  and  slouch  hat,  with,  if  the  weather  were  cold,  a 
disreputable  brown  army  overcoat,  a  relic  of  the  Florida 
campaign.  The  story  is  told  that  once  during  the 
Texas  campaign  he  was  notified  that  he  was  to  receive 
a  visit  from  a  Commodore  of  the  navy,  who  was  noted 
for  his  spic-and-span  appearance.  To  compliment  his 
visitor  and  the  navy,  General  Taylor  made  a  heroic 
effort,  delved  at  the  bottom  of  an  old  chest,  ''and  pulled 
out  a  uniform  coat,  that  had  peacefully  slumbered  for 
years  in  undisturbed  quietude,  slipped  himself  into  it, 
in  his  haste  fastening  it  so  that  one  side  of  the  standing 
collar  was  three  button-holes  above  the  other,"  and, 
very  uncomfortable,  waited  for  the  expected  visitor,  in 
the  meantime  the  Commodore,  knowing  of  Taylor's 
aversion  to  full-dress,  clothed  himself  in  his  plainest 

229 


MEXICO 

apparel.  When  the  two  heroes  met,  each  was  filled 
with  astonishment  at  the  other's  appearance.  After 
that  time,  General  Taylor  ''took  to  linen  roundabouts  of 
the  largest  dimensions  with  more  pertinacity  than 
ever."  His  headquarters  was  an  ordinary  tent;  his  dis- 
patch table  a  couple  of  rough  boxes  painted  blue.  He 
was  very  democratic  in  his  manners,  and  adored  by  all 
the  soldiers. 

As  our  army  advanced  into  Mexico,  they  expected 
desperate  resistance,  and  were  surprised  to  find  one 
little  pueblo  after  another  deserted,  and  no  sign  of  the 
enemy  but  an  occasional  body  of  cavalry  appearing  and 
reappearing  in  the  distance.  The  Mexicans  were  ap- 
parently concentrating  at  Monterey.  The  United 
States  soldiers  pressed  on,  until,  tired  and  dusty  after 
many  days'  march,  from  a  point  in  the  hills  they  came 
in  sight  of  this  city,  the  key  to  the  north,  very  pictur- 
esque in  its  lovely,  mountain-girt  plain,  with  its  spires 
and  flat-roofed  Spanish  houses  of  various  colors.  The 
soldiers  gazed  at  it  with  mixed  feelings,  for  anxious 
as  they  were  to  attack,  they  saw  that  it  was  exceedingly 
well  fortified  and  could  not  be  taken  without  a  hard 
struggle.  Towering  over  the  city  at  the  right,  on  a 
spur  of  the  mountains,  was  the  Bishop's  Palace,  now 
used  as  a  fortress ;  in  the  center  of  the  town  was  a  very 
strong  citadel ;  each  house  was  converted  into  a  fortifica- 
tion, and  the  city  itself  was  surrounded  by  thick  stone 
walls,  wath  ditches  and  bastions,  bristling  with  cannon. 

230 


WAK  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

A  garrison  of  ten  thousand  soldiers  was  preparing  to 
hold  the  place,  with  the  help  of  the  inhabitants,  who 
were  anxious  to  fight.  General  Taylor's  force  con- 
sisted only  of  about  seven  thousand  men. 

Undismayed,  General  Taylor  established  his  camp 
and  made  his  plans.  Soon  the  Americans  began  their 
attack.  The  fight  lasted  for  four  days.  The  Bishop's 
Palace,  though  strongly  defended,  was  stormed  and 
taken.  The  Americans  fought  their  way  into  the  town, 
tunneling  through  the  walls  of  houses  to  gain  cover 
for  their  advance.  It  became  a  hand-to-hand  and 
house-to-house  fight,  in  which  the  Mexicans  resisted 
bravely,  but  were  finally  overcome.  Taylor  was  in  the 
thick  of  it,  walking  leisurely  about  the  streets  directing 
his  men  under  a  rain  of  bullets,  quite  oblivious  to 
danger.  On  the  twenty-fifth  of  September  General 
Ampudia  evacuated  the  town  and  retreated  to  Saltillo. 
Taylor  was  criticized  by  the  politicians  at  Washington 
for  allowing  him  to  leave  with  all  his  men  and  the 
honors  of  war ;  but  history  has  fully  justified  him,  for 
with  his  small  army  and  far  from  the  base  of  supplies 
he  could  not  take  care  of  a  large  body  of  prisoners. 

The  loss  of  Monterey  taught  Mexico  that  the  United 
States  soldiers  could  fight.  All  was  confusion  and  dis- 
may at  the  capital.  Up  to  this  time  Parades  had  been 
so  busy  trying  to  turn  Mexico  into  a  monarchy  that  he 
had  paid  little  attention  to  the  invaders  at  the  north. 
!Now,  however,  he  was  aroused,  and  was  preparing  to 

231 


MEXICO 

lead  an  army  to  the  north,  when  he  was  suddenly  ousted 
by  the  army,  who  pronounced  in  favor  of  Santa  Anna. 

That  redoubtable  general,  having  been  coldly  received 
in  Mexico  after  he  lost  the  first  campaign  in  Texas,  had 
retired  to  Havana.  Xow  he  hastened  back.  The 
United  States  squadron  was  then  blockading  the  Mexi- 
can ports,  but  Santa  Anna  slipped  through  on  a  pass 
which  had  been  given  him  some  time  before.  The 
Mexicans,  forgetting  their  grudge,  now  hailed  him  as 
their  deliverer.  He  was  oli'ered  the  dictatorship,  but 
declined  it  in  order  to  become  Commander  in  Chief  of 
the  army.  He  was  afterwards  made  Provisional  Presi- 
dent. 

'T  will  die  fighting,"  he  declared,  in  his  letter  of 
acceptance,  "or  lead  the  valiant  Mexicans  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  a  triumph.  ...  I  will  lend  my  aid  to  the 
service  of  my  country,  or  perish  amid  its  ruins!"  Full 
of  these  noble  sentiments,  he  bade  his  friends  at  the 
capital  a  tender  farewell,  and  hastened  to  the  seat  of 
war,  arriving  at  San  Luis  Potosi  with  his  troops  on  the 
eighth  of  October. 

In  the  meantime  the  main  command  of  the  American 
army  had  been  taken  away  from  General  Taylor  and 
given  to  General  Winficld  Scott,  who  with  a  large  force 
set  sail  for  Vera  Cruz.  Many  of  Taylor's  men  had 
been  ordered  to  march  overland  to  join  them,  which  left 
old  "Rough-and-Ready"  with  but  a  few  troops  to  meet 
the  renowned  Santa  Anna  with  about  four  times  as 

232 


WAR  WITH  THE  UMTED  STATES 

many.  It  was  an  anxious  period  for  the  little  Ameri- 
can army  in  the  heart  of  a  hostile  country,  as  the  oppos- 
ing forces  drew  near.  General  Taylor  made  his  dispo- 
sitions with  great  care.  He  thought  it  best  to  meet 
Santa  Anna  at  a  ravine  called  Buena  Vista  just  beyond 
the  pass  from  the  mountain  road  which  led  from  San 
Luis  Potosi.  Here  a  decisive  battle  took  place — one 
of  the  most  remarkable  ones  in  our  history. 

If  the  Mexicans  still  had  doubts  as  to  whether  the 
Yankees  could  fight,  they  lost  them  now.  A  Captain 
Pike,  who  commanded  a  company  of  Arkansas  cavalry 
in  this  engagement,  and  who  seems  to  have  been  nearly 
as  mighty  with  the  pen  as  with  the  sword,  has  written 
some  verses  about  it  which  may  have  faults  as  poetry, 
but  are  so  full  of  spirit  that  I  cannot  help  quoting  them. 

From  the  Rio  Grande's  waters  to  the  icy  lakes  of  Maine, 

Let  all  exult,  for  we  have  met  the  enemy  again. 

Beneath  their  stern  old  mountains  we  have  met  them  in  their 

pride. 
And  rolled  from  Buena  Yista  bac-k  the  battle's  bloody  tide; 
Where  the  enemy  came  surging-,  like  the  Mississippi's  flood, 
And  the  reaper  Death  was  busy,  with  his  sickle  red  with  blood. 

Santa  Anna  boasted  loudly  that  before  two  hours  were  past 
His  lancers  through  Saltillo  should  pursue  us  thick  and  fast. 
On  came  his  solid  infantry,  line  marching  after  line. 
Lo,  their  great  standards  in  the  sun  like  sheets  of  silver  shine! 
With  thousands  upon  thousands,  yea,  with  more  than  four  to 

one, 
A  forest  of  bright  bayonets  gleamed  fiercely  in  the  sun! 

233 


MEXICO 

Lo!  Guanajuato's  resriment !    Lo!    Puebla's  boasted  corps! 
And  Guadalajara's  chosen  troops !    All  veterans,  tried  before. 
And,  galloping  upon  the  right,  four  thousand  lances  gleam, 
Where,  waving  in  the  morning  light,  their  blood-red  pennons 

stream. 
And  there,  his  stem  artillery  clinibs  up  the  broad  plateau. 
To-day,  he  means  to  strike  at  us  an  overwhelming  blow. 

(Here  follow  stanzas  describing  the  battle  in  detail. 
It  was  very  fierce,  and  for  a  while  things  looked  badly 
for  the  Americans,     But  in  the  end — ) 

Still  sullenly  the  cannon  roared — but  died  away  at  last; 
And  o'er  the  dead  and  dying  came  the  evening  shadows  fast. 
And  then    above   the   mountains   rose   the  cold   moon's   silver 

shield, 
And  patiently  and  pityingly  looked  down  upon  the  field. 
And  careless  of  his  wounded,  and  neglectful  of  his  dead, 
Despairingly  and  sullen,  in  the  night  Santa  Anna  fled! 

(He  retreated  to  San  Luis  Potosi  with  fragments  of 
his  fine  army.) 

On  the  night  after  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista  the  final 
result  was  yet  unknowm,  and  the  men  were  anxious,  ex- 
pecting to  make  an  assault  next  day.  Everybody  won- 
dered what  General  Taylor  was  planning.  To  their 
surprise,  his  tent  was  dark  and  quiet.  His  negro  ser- 
vant, upon  being  questioned,  said,  smilingly, 

"I  'spec  he  fast  asleep,  captain,  for  he  eat  a  mon- 
strous hearty  supper,  and  when  he  eat  a  big  supper  he 
sleep  berry  hard  and  sound,  and  I  reckon  you  won't  see 

234 


WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

de  old  hos'  'fore  four  o'clock  in  de  mornin' !     Listen, 
you  hear  him  snore  clean  out  here." 

General  Taylor's  snores  carried  joy  to  the  camp. 
Everything  must  be  all  right,  if  "Rough-and-Eeady" 
slept. 

This  battle,  so  disastrous  to  the  Mexican  cause,  was 
the  triumph  Santa  Anna  had  promised  the  people  of 
Mexico !  But  instead  of  dying,  the  General  sat  down, 
very  much  alive,  and  wrote  his  dispatches  so  cleverly 
that  the  Mexicans  for  a  long  time  believed  that  they 
had  won  the  battle !  Santa  Anna  was  soon  recalled 
from  San  Luis  Potosi  to  put  down  an  insurrection  in 
the  capital,  and  General  Taylor  with  his  troops  was  left 
in  undisputed  possession  of  the  north  of  Mexico. 

In  March,  1847,  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Buena 
Vista,  General  Winfield  Scott  at  the  head  of  an  army 
of  about  12,000  men,  reached  the  harbor  at  Vera  Cruz 
and  summoned  that  city  to  surrender.  The  general  in 
command  of  the  garrison  refused.  Scott  accordingly 
landed  his  troops  and  began  a  bombardment  of  the  city. 
A  continuous  rain  of  shot  and  shell  was  kept  up  for 
four  days,  killing  many  Mexicans,  including  non-com- 
batants who  could  not  find  shelter.  On  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  March  the  city  surrendered.  The  Mexican 
troops  were  allowed  to  salute  their  flag  and  march  out 
with  honors  of  war,  and  civil  and  religious  rights  were 
guaranteed  to  the  inhabitants. 

The  occupation  of  Vera  Cruz  was  a  great  blow  to 
235 


MEXICO 

the  hopes  of  the  Mexicans.  But  Santa  Anna  exhorted 
them  in  eloquent  words,  and  succeeded  in  raising  a  new 
army  with  which  he  swore  to  contest  the  American  ad- 
vance. Scott  and  his  forces  meanwhile  advanced  by 
the  same  route  that  Cortes  had  taken  over  three  hun- 
dred '  years  before.  They  encountered  Santa  Anna's 
army  of  15,000  men  at  Cerro  Gordo,  between  Vera 
Cruz  and  Jalapa,  a  mountain  fastness  of  great  strength. 
Yet  here  again  Santa  Anna  was  defeated  and  his  army 
dispersed.  Our  men  occupied  Puebla  without  a  shot 
being  fired,  and  stayed  there  until  August.  Santa 
Anna  returned  to  the  capital,  where  he  apparently  made 
every  effort  to  prepare  for  the  final  stand.  It  is  on 
record,  however,  that  during  this  time  he  was  carrying 
on  a  secret  correspondence  with  General  Scott  in  which 
he  intimated  that  if  a  million  dollars  were  placed  at 
his  disposal,  ten  thousand  of  it  to  be  paid  at  once,  he 
would  use  every  effort  to  bring  about  peace.  Whether 
this  was  a  ruse  on  his  part  to  gain  time  for  his  prepara- 
tions, or  whether  he  really  desired  to  betray  his  country, 
has  never  been  discovered.  General  Scott  certainly  did 
not  place  enough  trust  in  him  to  delay  his  preparations 
for  attack. 

On  the  eighth  of  August  Scott's  army  took  up  its 
march  towards  the  capital.  In  the  same  month,  three 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  years  before,  Cortes  and  his 
little  band  had  advanced  through  the  same  country  on 
a  similar  errand.     Like  them,  the  Americans  toiled  up 

236 


WAE  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

the  slopes  of  the  mountains  until  they  saw  the  fair 
valley  of  Mexico  spread  out  before  them,  its  city  larger 
than  in  Aztec  times,  but  its  lakes  sadly  shrunken  in 
size.  As  they  descended  the  Sierras,  they  were  halted 
at  times  by  ditches  cut  in  the  road,  or  huge  stones  which 
had  been  rolled  down  from  the  mountains  by  Santa 
Anna's  orders;  but  the  very  same  Indians  who  had 
made  these  obstructions  were  easily  persuaded  to  se^" 
to  work  to  remove  them.  One  army  was  much  like 
another  to  these  humble  workers.  Scott's  men  followed 
the  route  which  led  to  the  City  of  Mexico  south  of  Lake 
Chalco.  They  fought  another  battle  on  August  18,  at 
Churubusco,  where  a  fortified  convent  was  strongly  de- 
fended by  the  enemy.  Here  again  the  Americans  were 
victorious.  So  great  was  their  elation  that  a  small 
body  of  cavalry,  under  Captain  Kearney,  pursued  the 
fleeing  Mexicans  to  the  very  gates  of  the  capital. 

Now  they  were  within  a  few  miles  from  the  city.  It 
loomed  in  front  of  them,  wide-spread  and  formidable, 
with  numerous  works  of  defense,  the  chief  of  which  was 
the  great  fortress,  half  castle,  half  palace,  which 
crowned  the  Hill  of  Chapultepec,  the  pleasure-seat  of 
the  Aztec  kings  and  of  many  of  the  viceroys.  West  of 
this  fortress  were  two  strong  outposts,  the  Molino  del 
Key,  or  King's  Mill,  supposed  to  be  a  cannon  foundry, 
and  Casa  Mata,  a  fortified  place  containing  a  large 
deposit  of  powder. 

After  an  armistice  of  some  days,  which  Scott  granted 
237 


MEXICO 

at  the  request  of  the  Mexicans,  and  which  Santa  Anna 
broke  by  several  hostile  actions,  the  fighting  began 
again.  Under  a  fierce  fire  from  the  Mexicans  the 
Americans  attacked  the  King's  Mill  and  Casa  Mata  and 
captured  both  positions.  They  lost  many  of  their  num- 
ber during  these  brilliant,  but  rash  engagements.  SsSita 
Anna,  as  usual,  would  not  acknowledge  his  defeat,  but 
caused  the  bells  of  the  capital  to  be  rung  merrily  as  if 
for  a  victory. 

The  Mexicans  pinned  all  their  faith  on  the  Castle  of 
Chapultepec,  which  they  believed  to  be  impregnable. 
On  the  twelfth,  the  Americans  began  their  bombard- 
ment of  this  stronghold  and  poured  an  incessant  fire 
upon  it  until  nightfall,  when  they  slept  on  their  arms, 
ready  to  begin  again  in  the  morning.  At  half-past  five 
the  next  day  the  bombardment  was  continued.  About 
eight  o'clock  the  batteries  suddenly  ceased  firing;  a 
division  of  Americans  under  General  Pillow  rushed 
forward  from  the  conquered  IMolino  del  Rey,  climbed 
the  steep  slopes,  raised  their  scaling  ladders  and  poured 
over  the  walls  of  the  castle.  Another  division  under 
Quitman  gained  the  south-east  of  the  works  in  spite  of 
the  enemy  posted  outside,  while  other  bodies  of  Ameri- 
can volunteers  crossed  the  meadows  in  front  under 
heavy  fire  and  entered  the  outer  enclosure  of  Chapulte- 
pec in  time  to  join  those  from  the  west.  In  vain  the 
bravo  defenders,  including'  eight  hundred  military 
cadets,  the  Mexican  West  Pointers,  tried  to  withstand 

238 


WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

the  onslaught  of  the  rash  invaders.  The  Americans 
swarmed  ovei  the  breastworks  and  carried  all  before 
them.  The  cadets,  many  of  them,  fought  their  first 
and  last  battle.  Men  at  the  gims  either  fled  or  were 
shot  down.  Officers  fell  at  their  posts,  and  brave  old 
General  Bravo,  the  Revolutionary  leader,  fighting  to 
the  last,  was  taken  prisoner  with  a  thousand  others. 

The  fall  of  Chapultepec  put  the  final  quietus  to 
Mexican  hopes  of  resisting  the  invaders.  Santa  Anna 
and  his  generals  with  the  remnants  of  the  army  evacu- 
ated the  capital  at  midnight,  retreating  to  Guadalupe- 
Hidalgo,  three  miles  away.  The  Americans  entered 
the  city  on  the  following  day.  General  Scott,  who, 
unlike  General  Taylor,  loved  fine  uniforms  and  dis- 
play, rode  into  the  Plaza  next  day  in  gTeat  glory  with 
his  brilliant  staff.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  hoisted 
over  the  National  Palace. 

Santa  Anna,  still  refusing  to  perish,  as  he  had  prom- 
(Used,  did  the  next  best  thing  in  resigning  the  Presi- 
dency in  favor  of  his  Constitutional  successor,  Pena-y- 
Pena,  and  disappeared.  Some  time  later,  after  peace 
was  declared.  General  Lane,  hearing  that  he  was  at 
Tehuacan,  near  Puebla,  sent  troopers  to  capture  him. 
They  arrived  at  his  hiding-place  to  find  the  nest  still 
warm,  but  the  bird  flown!  He  had  left  behind  his 
personal  effects,  which  the  troopers  appropriated,  all 
except  his  wife's  wardrobe,  which  they  chivalrously  for- 

239 


IVTEXICO 

warded  to  her.  It  is  said  that  they  played  base-ball 
with  his  wooden  leg! 

Still  later,  Santa  Anna,  finding  his  own  people  un- 
appreciative  of  his  great  efforts,  wrote  to  the  n^inister 
of  war  for  permission  to  leave  the  country,  and  to  ''seek 
an  asylum  on  a  foreign  soil  where  he  might  pass  his 
last  days  in  that  tranquillity  which  he  could  never  find 
in  the  land  of  his  birth."  Neither  Mexicans  nor 
Americans  desired  to  stop  him,  and  so  it  happened  that 
this  arch-villain  departed  unmolested  from  the  coun- 
try where  so  many  better  men  than  he  had  met  violent 
deaths.  He  was  not  lacking  in  funds,  for  he  had  paid 
himself  very  liberally  from  the  Mexican  treasury  when 
that  was  so  low  that  there  was  scarcely  money  enough 
to  maintain  troops.  He  retired  to  Jamaica  where  we 
will  leave  him  for  a  while. 

The  expedition  against  Monterey  and  that  which 
ended  in  the  surrender  of  the  City  of  Mexico  did  not 
include  the  whole  campaigTi  which  the  United  States 
was  making  against  Mexico.  General  Stephen  Kear- 
ney, a  hardy  Indian  fighter,  led  an  army  overland  to 
New  Mexico,  capturing  Santa  Fe  in  1846.  An  army 
under  General  John  C.  Fremont  was  sent  overland 
through  New  Mexico  into  California,  and  with  the  aid 
of  the  Pacific  fleet  of  the  United  States,  conquered 
that  province,  then  only  sparsely  settled  by  roving  In- 
dians, priests  and  Mexicans  in  the  small,  straggling 
villages  of  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles  and  other  mis- 

240 


WAR  WITH  THE  UNITED  STATES 

sions.  A  wonderful  achievement  was  the  march  of 
Colonel  Doniphan  and  his  force  of  Missourians  over 
five  thousand  miles  from  the  Middle  West  to  Santa 
Ee,  thence  to  Chihuahua,  which  they  occupied,  on  to 
Taylor's  camp  and  then  back  to  the  United  States.  The 
whole  story  of  this  conquering  of  the  West  reads  like 
an  impossible  romance.  Such  exploits,  added  to  those 
of  the  armies  which  we  have  already  described,  of 
course  made  the  surrender  of  Mexico  inevitable.  The 
treaty  of  Guadalupe-Hidalgo,  by  which  Mexico  ceded 
to  the  United  States,  New  Mexico,  Texas  and  Califor- 
nia (which  territory  included  also  the  present  states 
of  Arizona,  Nevada,  Colorado  and  Utah),  in  return 
for  $15,000,000  was  signed  in  February,  1848. 

She  had  given  away — for  the  purchase  price  was 
comparatively  nothing — enough  land  for  an  empire. 
That  very  year,  1848,  gold  was  discovered  in  Califor- 
nia, as  much  to  the  astonishment  of  the  Americans  as 
of  the  ]\Iexicans.  The  rush  to  California  began.  Over 
the  Rockies  and  across  the  desert  toiled  the  "Forty- 
Niners"  in  their  prairie  schooners,  carrying  to  that 
sleepy  coast  not  only  seekers  for  gold,  but  Anglo-Saxon 
energy  and  brains.  Mining  towns  sprang  up  in  the 
mountains;  the  picturesque  towers  of  the  missions 
found  themselves  surrounded  by  American  cities.  The 
Indians  of  the  New  Mexican  pueblos  were  first  startled 
at  the  shriek  of  the  railway  engine,  and  then  dressed 
themselves  in  their  gayest  blankets  to  sell  their  baskets 

241 


MEXICO 

at  tlie  stations.  Texas  sailed  serenely  on  her  tide  of 
prosperity,  forgetting  that  she  ever  owed  allegiance  to 
the  distracted  land  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rio  Grande. 
But  the  Mexicans  do  not  forget.  The  old  gi'udge 
rankles.  Is  it  surprising  that  the  most  barbarous  ele- 
ment of  this  childish,  undisciplined  people  at  times 
make  "spite-raids"  across  our  territory  ?  Is  it  surpris- 
ing that  the  name  ''Yankee"  stands  for  a  certain  re- 
proach ? 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
BENITO  JUAREZ,  THE  LITTLE  INDIAN 

A  VERY  different  sort  of  man  from  Santa  Anna  was 
next  to  influence  the  destinies  of  Mexico.  About  the 
same  time  that  Santa  Anna  first  saw  the  light  of  day, 
a  son  was  born  to  a  poor  Indian  family  living  in  the 
State  of  Oaxaca.  The  Oaxacans  are  supposed  to  be 
the  descendants  of  the  mysterious  people  who  built 
the  great  ruins  of  Mitla;  certainly  this  boy,  Benito 
Juarez,  was  to  show  some  of  the  characteristics  of  a 
great  race.  Until  he  was  twelve  years  old  Benito  could 
neither  read  nor  write.  Then  he  found  a  friend  in  a 
well-to-do  man,  who  sent  him  to  school  and  helped  him 
to  study  law.  Before  long  the  ignorant  Indian  boy 
had  become  a  full-fledged  lawyer,  then  a  member  of 
the  State  legislature,  then  a  judge,  and  then  a  Member 
of  Congi'ess  during  the  American  war.  And  yet  people 
say  that  the  Mexican  Indians  have  not  the  power  to 
advance ! 

From  the  very  first,  Juarez  was  an  out-and-out  Lib- 
eral ;  that  is,  opposed  to  the  military  and  church  party, 
called  the  Conservatives,  who  oppressed  the  Indians. 

243 


MEXICO 

He  knew  that  the  ignorance  and  poverty  of  the  Indian 
population  was  the  cause  of  most  of  the  troubles  in 
Mexico,  and  that  if  they  had  a  chance  to  become  edu- 
cated, prosperous  and  contented,  they  would  not  be  the 
victims  of  the  military  leaders,  and  revolutions  would 
cease. 
•  But  at  present  they  were  far  from  ceasing.  The 
war  with  the  United  States  had  not  united  the  coun- 
try, but  left  it  in  confusion  worse  confounded.  One 
ruler  after  another  tried  his  hand  at  calming  the  trou- 
bled waters.  Finally  the  Conservatives  succeeded  in 
having  Santa  Anna  recalled  from  Jamaica  and  made 
President  for  the  sixth  time.  The  wooden-legged  hero 
entered  the  capital  in  gTcat  glory,  welcomed  by  ban- 
ners and  bells,  cannons  and  triumphal  arches  and  flow- 
ers. There  were  plenty  of  people  there  who  knew  him 
to  be  a  robber  and  a  traitor,  but  they  did  not  dare  to 
raise  their  voices  while  the  Conservatives  were  in  power. 
Santa  Anna  soon  showed  that  he  was  the  tool  of  forces 
who  desired  to  destroy  all  republican  government  in  the 
country;  and  he  overreached  even  his  supporters  by 
calmly  issuing  a  decree  declaring  himself  Perpetual 
Dictator. 

At  that  crowning  insolence,  the  indignation  of  the 
Liberals  grew  too  hot  to  be  suppressed.  They  sprang 
to  arms  and  their  movement  to  restore  democratic  ideals 
gained  ground  everywhere.  In  the  civil  war  which  fol- 
lowed,   Santa    Anna's    Perpetual    Dicatatorship    was 

244 


BENITO  JUAREZ,  THE  LITTLE  INDIAN 

rudely  overthrown,  and  Santa  Anna  obliged  to  flee  the 
country.  He  went  to  Cuba,  and  then  honored  the 
United  States  by  coming  to  live  on  Staten  Island.  Long 
years  after,  he  returned  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  died 
there  at  the  age  of  eighty,  "unwept,  unhonored,  and 
unsung." 

This  successful  revolution  of  the  Liberals,  sometinjes 
called  the  Ayotla  revolution,  because  it  produced  the 
Plan  of  Ayotla,  was  headed  by  another  pure-blooded 
Indian,  Juan  Alvarez,  who  was  shortly  after  made 
President,  and  entered  Mexico  City  escorted  by  a  body- 
guard of  natives.  Another  revolutionist,  Comonfort, 
was  made  Minister  of  War,  and  Benito  Juarez  Chief 
Justice.  Alvarez  soon  resigned  his  position  to  Comon- 
fort, who  thus  became  President. 

The  new  Liberal  government  adopted  the  famous 
Constitution  of  1857,  which  astonished  the  world  by 
its  provisions  for  universal  liberty.  Slavery  was  abol- 
ished— this  was  four  yeats  before  the  United  States 
freed  its  slaves — freedom  of  speech  and  press  guaran- 
teed, religious  toleration  established  and  the  right  of 
the  people  to  govern  firmly  upheld.  It  represented  all 
the  ideals  for  which  Mexico  had  been  struggling  for 
forty-seven  years,  ever  since  the  Cry  of  Hidalgo,  and  for 
which  it  was  still  fighting  up  to  a  very  recent  period. 

Of  course  such  a  Constitution  met  with  great  op- 
position. The  Conservatives  broke  out  again  in  full 
force,  and  a  terrible  war,  called  "The  War  of  the  Re- 

245 


MEXICO 

form,"  followed.  The  chief  leaders  of  the  Conserva- 
tives were  the  Generals  Zuloaga,  Miramon,  Tomas 
Mejia,  a  full-blooded  Indian,  and  Marquez.  Church 
officials  took  part  in  the  fighting.  "It  was  a  struggle 
in  which  the  monk  appeared,  cross  in  hand,  at  the  head 
of  charging  troops;  in  which  the  curse  of  the  Church 
was  sounded  from  a  multitude  of  altars;  in  which  the 
treasures  of  centuries  were  torn  from  walls  and  altars, 
fighting  Indian  patriots  forcing  their  way  into  dim, 
hallowed  interiors,  gleaming  with  gold,  silver,  many- 
colored  jewels  .  .  .  painted  and  sculptured  Christs  and 
Madonnas."  ^  In  this  so-called  "Holy  War"  the 
Church  urged  its  soldiers  to  the  massacre  of  helpless 
prisoners.  Marquez,  one  of  its  favorite  generals,  was 
called  the  "Tiger  of  Tacubaya,"  because  he  executed  at 
Tacubaya,  in  cold  blood,  a  number  of  captured  Liberal 
officers  and  medical  students  who  had  been  caring  for 
the  wounded  of  both  sides.  The  Liberals,  of  course, 
retaliated  by  murdering  their  prisoners. 

Comonfort  became  frightened  at  the  tumult  he  had 
raised,  and  resigned  the  Presidency.  Benito  Juarez 
as  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  was  now  legally  Presi- 
dent, according  to  the  Mexican  rule  of  succession,  but 
had  no  money  to  carry  on  the  government.  He  was 
obliged  to  leave  the  capital,  and  finally  the  country. 
He  soon  returned,  however,  and  set  up  his  government 
at  Vera  Cruz.     He  had  the  Indian  qualities  of  pa- 

'  Creelman. 

246 


BENITO  JUAREZ,  THE  LITTLE  INDIAN 

tience  and  staying  power.  He  would  never  give  up 
as  long  as  he  knew  himself  to  be  the  true  President. 
Meanwhile  the  Conservatives  got  the  upper  hand,  ruled 
in  the  capitiil,  and  General  Miramon  twice  tried  to  cap- 
ture Vera  Cruz,  but  without  success. 

When  the  Liberal  cause  was  thus  at  its  lowest  ebb, 
Juarez  did  a  superbly  defiant  thing;  he  issued  his  fa- 
mous Reform  Decrees,  which  dealt  a  heavy  blow  at 
the  Church,  his  bitterest  and  most  powerful  enemy. 
Though  a  devout  Catholic  himself,  Juarez  knew  that 
the  meddling  of  the  Church  in  politics  and  the  hoarding 
of  the  gi'eater  part  of  the  wealth  of  the  country  in  its 
coffers  were  bringing  about  the  ruin  of  Mexico.  By 
his  decrees  he  confiscated  all  the  property  of  the 
Church  for  the  use  of  the  nation,  and  in  other  ways 
destroyed  the  Church's  hold  on  the  government. 

Though  the  Church  was  enraged,  the  Liberals,  or 
Juarists,  as  they  were  now  called,  received  fresh  cour- 
age from  the  new  laws,  and  many  recruits  joined  their 
ranks.  Gradually  they  began  to  triumph.  A  battle 
at  Guanajuato  gave  them  a  decisive  victory,  and  put 
an  end,  for  the  time  being,  to  the  War  of  the  Reform. 
The  "Little  Indian"  was  enabled  to  move  his  govern- 
ment from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  capital.  This  was  on  the 
eleventh  of  June,  1861.  The  Mexicans  had  ended  their 
civil  war  just  before  the  guns  of  Fort  Sumter  an- 
nounced the  beginning  of  the  United  States'  great  con- 
flict 

247 


MEXICO 

It  looked  as  if  the  distracted  southern  Republic  were 
to  enter  upon  a  new  era  of  peace  and  prosperity;  but, 
alas,  the  defeated  Conservatives  had  another  card  up 
their  sleeves.  If  they  could  not  overthrow  the  Repub- 
lic by  rebellion  at  home,  they  would  see  what  the  med- 
dling of  European  nations  could  accomplish ! 


CHAPTER  XIX 

MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

In  a  palace  by  the  sea,  far  away  from  troubled  Mex- 
ico, there  lived  at  this  time  as  handsome  and  romantic 
a  young  couple  as  you  could  find  in  many  a  day's  jour- 
ney. Their  names  were  Maximilian  and  Carlotta. 
Maximilian  was  an  Archduke,  the  brother  of  Franz- 
Josef,  the  Emperor  of  Austria;  Carlotta  was  the 
daughter  of  the  former  King  of  Belgium,  Leopold  I, 
and  sister  of  the  reigning  one,  Leopold  11.  Maximil- 
ian was  thirty,  Carlotta  twenty-four.  They  were  very 
much  in  love  with  each  other,  and  lived  apparently  the 
''happy  ever-after"  life  of  some  fairy-tale  Prince  and 
Princess  in  their  white  dream-castle  looking  out  upon 
the  blue  Adriatic.  He  had  been,  while  still  a  youth, 
Admiral  of  the  Austrian  navy,  and  later  Governor  of 
the  Italian  territory  of  Austria.  He  had  retired  from 
these  posts,  to  pass  his  time  in  writing  books  and  poems, 
and  in  strolling  through  the  shady  paths  of  his  grounds 
at  Miramar.  He  was  a  tall,  blond-bearded,  blue-eyed 
man,  handsome  and  serious.  Carlotta,  dark-eyed, 
pretty  and  spirited,  busied  herself  with  many  works 

240 


MEXICO 

of  charity.  It  seems  incrediLle  that  the  Mexican  tur- 
moil could  touch  the  lives  of  this  happy,  far-away  pair. 
It  did  so,  however.  One  can  imagine  Montezuma, 
leaning  from  the  shadows,  to  say  to  Maximilian,  "You 
are  young,  as  I  was ;  rich,  as  I  was ;  happy,  and  power- 
ful. Go  and  take  the  crown  which  was  stolen  from 
me."  Maximilian  obeyed;  and  he  paid  for  the  crown 
in  the  same  way  that  Montezuma  did — with  his  life! 

The  Liberals  had  won  the  "victory  in  Mexico ;  and 
many  black-robed  priests  and  Conservatives  in  league 
with  them  had  fled  to  Paris.  They  had  hopes  of  re- 
viving their  lost  cause,  of  recovering  the  rich  lands  the 
Liberals  had  taken  from  them,  and  the  power  they  had 
abused.  ISTo  way  was  too  base  for  them,  not  even  be- 
traying their  country  into  the  hands  of  foreigners. 

In  Paris  these  plotters  managed  to  get  the  ear  of 
the  ruler  of  the  French,  E^apoleon  III,  who  was  as 
much  of  a  schemer  as  they.  He  admitted  them  to  his 
great  palace  of  the  Tuileries  and  soon  became  inter- 
ested in  their  schemes.  Napoleon  III  was  a  nephew  of 
the  gi'eat  Napoleon,  and  wished  to  show  himself  as 
much  of  a  man  as  his  uncle.  What  could  prove  his 
ability  more  plainly  than  to  bring  this  wonderful  land 
of  Mexico,  now  torn  by  its  dangerous  desires  for  self- 
government  and  religious  freedom,  securely  under 
French  control,  made  over  into  a  monarchy  after  the 
European  pattern,  with  Roman  Catholio  institutions, 
and  a  prince  of  Napoleon's  own  choosing  to  govern  it? 

2  no 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

In  this  way  a  foothold  would  be  gained  in  the  New 
World  for  all  the  Latin  nations,  Mexican  riches  would 
flow  into  French  treasuries,  a  barrier  would  be  raised 
against  the  progress  of  the  Anglo-Saxons  in  America, 
and  much  glory  be  added  to  his  own  name. 

A  pretext  was  all  that  was  needed  to  set  these  plans 
in  motion ;  and  that  was  soon  ready.  The  Liberal  gov- 
ernment in  Mexico,  lacking  funds  on  account  of  the 
years  of  struggle  the  country  had  endured,  passed  a 
law  temporarily  suspending  payments  to  its  foreign 
creditors.  France  took  counsel  with  Spain  and  Eng- 
land, and  they  agreed  to  intervene  in  Mexico  in  order 
to  settle  their  financial  claims  and  protect  their  citi- 
zens. The  United  States  was  invited  to  join,  but  de- 
clined. 

In  December.  1861,  the  fleet  flying  the  flags  of  the 
three  countries  entered  the  Vera  Cruz  harbor.  Troops 
were  landed,  and  the  commissioners,  as  the  representa- 
tives were  called,  went  to  Orizaba  to  meet  President 
Juarez  and  his  advisers.  Much  to  the  disappointment 
of  the  French,  the  affair  went  smoothly.  A  treaty 
was  drawn  up  which  satisfied  the  Spaniards  and  Eng- 
lish. But  France  had  not  come  in  order  to  be  satis- 
fied. Her  commissioners  acted  in  such  a  way  that  the 
others  began  to  suspect  there  was  "a  nigger  in  the  wood- 
pile"— that  money-claims  were  not  all  Napoleon  had 
in  mind — and  withdrew  themselves  and  their  forces. 
Napoleon  now  had  a  clear  field. 

2^1 


MEXICO 

The  French  General,  Lorencz,  had  been  told  by  the 
Mexicans  in  Paris  that  the  natives  would  hail  him  as 
a  deliverer  and  strew  his  path  with  flowers.  With  this 
idea  in  mind  he  began  his  march  up  from  the  coast* 
Alas,  the  flowers  mysteriously  turned  into  bullets !  The 
people  came  out  in  force  to  oppose  the  invaders.  The 
Liberal  army  hastened  towards  the  scene.  But  the 
Conservatives  who  had  planned  the  invasion  had  come 
over  with  the  French  and  were  now  busy  buying  over 
their  own  people  with  French  gold.  By  this  means,  a 
considerable  army,  hostile  to  President  Juarez  and 
friendly  to  the  invaders,  was  formed,  with  General  Al- 
monte at  its  head. 

On  May  5,  1862,  a  battle  took  place  at  Puebla  be- 
tween the  defending  Mexicans  and  the  invaders.  It 
resulted  in  the  defeat  of  the  latter.  General  Lorencz, 
who  had  thought  his  task  would  be  so  easy,  was  obliged 
to  retreat  in  haste  to  the  seacoast.  The  Mexicans  were 
wild  with  delight.  They  had  conquered  the  French, 
who  were  themselves  the  conquerors  of  the  world!  To 
this  day  the  fifth  of  May,  ''El  Cinquo  de  Mayo,"  is  a 
national  holiday,  the  Mexican  Fourth  of  July. 

It  is  all  very  well  to  dissemble  your  love, 
But  why  did  you  kick  me  downstairs? 

Napoleon  was  no  quicker  at  taking  a  hint  than  the 
hero  in  this  immortal  ballad.  He  was  grieved,  but 
not  seriously  disquieted ;  at  least,  not  to  the  point  of 

252 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

withdrawing  his  troops.  He  was  more  than  ever  de- 
termined to  intervene,  as  he  called  it  (he  was  much 
too  polite  to  speak  of  conquest),  and  force  upon  the 
Mexicans  the  kind  of  government  he  thought  they 
ought  to  have.  He  accordingly  sent  over  25,000  more 
soldiers  under  General  Forey,  who  announced  to  the 
astonished  populace  that  he  had  come  to  "free  Mexico 
from  the  tyrannous  demagoguery  of  Benito  Juarez, 
against  whom,  and  not  against  the  Mexican  nation,  he 
was  making  war."  He  arirved  in  Orizaba  in  October, 
1862,  but  delayed  action  for  several  months,  and  it  was 
March  of  the  next  year  before  he  reached  Puebla. 

This  "City  of  the  Angels,"  the  scene  of  too  many 
non-angelic  conflicts,  had,  since  the  victory  of  El  Cin- 
quo  de  Mayo,  been  even  more  strongly  fortified  than 
before.  It  was  divided  into  blocks,  each  of  which  had 
to  be  fought  for  separately  and  taken  by  assault.  The 
French  did  not  flinch  at  the  task,  nor  the  Mexicans 
shrink  from  the  defense. 

"Night  and  day  the  battle  raged  in  the  streets  of 
Puebla,  which  were  strewed  with  the  dead  and  dying. 
The  roaring  of  artillery  in  the  narrow  roadways,  the 
crashing  of  shells,  the  blaze  of  rifles,  the  falling  of 
cannon-smashed  walls,  the  shrieks  of  the  wounded,  the 
fierce  shouting  of  the  French  and  Mexican  soldiery  as 
they  charged  against  each  other  or  contested  the  smok- 
ing ruins  inch  by  inch,  went  on  ceaselessly,"  says  the 
historian,   Creelman.     Conspicuous  in  the  fighting  on 

■253 


MEXICO 

the  Liberal  side  was  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  Por- 
firio  Diaz. 

Finally,  when  a  ''ring  of  fire  and  steel"  was  about 
Puebla,  when  food  and  water  could  not  reach  the  city, 
and  the  sufferings  of  the  people  had  become  unbear- 
able, the  Mexican  guns  were  dismounted,  and  the  he- 
roic little  army  surrendered.  The  French  entered  the 
city  on  the  seventeenth  of  May. 

After  this,  the  march  to  the  capital  was  easy.  On 
the  night  of  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  a  forlorn  and 
ragged  army  passed  silently  out  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 
They  were  the  remnant  of  the  defeated  Liberals,  the 
rightful  defenders  of  their  country,  now  forced  to  flee 
before  the  invaders  and  the  traitors  among  their  own 
people.  Escorted  by  them,  the  true  ruler  of  Mexico, 
President  Juarez,  carrying  the  State  papers,  jogged 
over  the  rough  country  roads  in  the  little  black  coach 
driven  by  his  faithful  Indian  coachman,  who  wept  at 
his  master's  ill-fortune.  With  him  went  his  Cabinet. 
The  defeated  government  found  refuge  for  a  while  at 
San  Luis  Potosi.  In  the  meantime,  on  the  thirtieth  of 
May,  the  French  entered  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Now  the  dreams  of  Napoleon  seemed  to  come  true. 
Flags  flew  from  all  the  windows  and  balconies  to  wel- 
come the  French  army,  cheers  greeted  them,  and  only 
friendly  and  smiling  faces  were  seen.  All  the  leading 
people  who  had  opposed  the  invasion  had  of  course  left 
the  city,  and  the  Conservatives,  now  in  power,  saw  to 

254 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

it  that  the  lower  classes  had  cause  for  celebration.  '  In 
other  words,  the  pulque  flowed  freely,  and  with  plenty 
of  pulque,  a  peon  does  not  care  who  is  in  power. 

General  Forey  went  through  the  farce  of  appointing 
a  temporary  government,  consisting  of  three  Mexican 
executives  and  an  ''assembly  of  notables,"  to  decide  on 
a  permanent  form  of  government  for  the  invaded  na- 
tion. The  ''Notables"  were  of  course  chiefly  notable 
for  being  mouthpieces  of  the  French  and  the  Conserva- 
tives. They  presently  announced  that  Mexico  should 
be  a  monarchy  "under  the  sovereignty  of  a  prince  of 
the  Catholic  faith;  that  this  monarch  should  be  known 
as  Emperor  of  Mexico ;  that  his  Royal  Highness,  Prince 
Ferdinand  Maximilian,  Archduke  of  Austria,  should 
be  asked  to  accept  the  Imperial  Crown  for  himself  and 
his  descendants." 

So  our  story  comes  back  to  the  young  Prince  and 
Princess  in  their  glistening  chateau  on  the  Adriatic 
Sea.  The  stage  had  been  set;  the  cue  spoken;  it  was 
time  for  the  entrance  of  the  chief  actors  of  the  historic 
tragedy. 

Napoleon  III  had  several  reasons  for  choosing  Maxi- 
milian to  carry  out  his  plans  in  Mexico.  First,  he  was 
a  personal  friend,  one  who  had  been  at  many  house- 
parties  at  the  Tuilieries  and  St.  Cloud ;  second,  he  came 
of  a  family,  the  Hapsburgs,  who  were  well  used  to 
reigning;  third,  he  had,  Napoleon  thought,  just  the 
right  blend  of  digTiity  and  pliability  to  fit  him  for  the 

255 


MEXICO 

post.  In  other  words,  he  would  be  under  Napoleon's 
thumb,  without  appearing  to  be  so.  So  the  Emperor 
judged ;  but  he  was  wrong. 

Some  of  the  intrig-uing  Mexicans  in  Europe  were 
now  sent  to  Miramar  as  Napoleon's  messengers,  to  ex- 
tend to  the  young  Archduke  a  flattering  invitation  to 
come  and  rule  over  a  country  of  which  he  knew  next 
to  nothing  and  with  which  he  had  not  the  faintest  nat- 
ural connection.  But  that  did  not  matter — the  Mex- 
icans were  wild  to  have  him;  so,  at  least,  the  wily 
spokesman,  Gutierrez  de  Estrada,  gave  Maximilian  to 
understand. 

''We,  who  are  but  the  feeble  interpreters  of  the  hopes 
and  prayers  of  a  whole  nation,  come  to  present  in  that 
nation's  name  to  your  Jmperial  Highness  the  crown  of 
the  Mexican  Empire,  which  the  people  offer  you, 
prince,  freely  and  spontaneously,  by  a  solemn  decree 
of  the  Notables,  already  ratified  by  many  provinces, 
and  which  soon  will  be,  as  every  one  says,  by  the  en- 
tire nation."  The  speaker  then  handed  Maximilian 
the  vote  of  the  Notables  engrossed  on  parchment,  and 
enclosed  in  a  handle  of  solid  gold. 

What  prince  would  have  been  proof  against  such 
flattery?  Certainly  not  Maximilian.  But,  with  a 
scruple  that  did  him  credit,  he  said  he  would  not  go 
unless  the  vote  of  the  whole  Mexican  nation  called  him. 

This  demand  was  somewhat  of  a  facer  for  the  Mex- 
ican   wire-pullers.     In    the    uncivilized    condition    of 

256 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AXD  MARTYR 

Mexico  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  collect  a  real 
vote.  The  authorities  therefore  did  a  much  more  sat^ 
isfactory  thing — for  them — they  took  up  a  "straw 
vote"  in  regions  strictly  under  French  control.  This 
they  arranged  on  paper  to  appear  that  it  included  the 
whole  nation  and  that  the  Mexicans  were  in  favor  of 
Maximilian  by  a  large  majority. 

A  second  deputation  waited  upon  Maximilian  at 
Miramar  with  the  news.  By  this  time  it  was  nearly 
a  year  since  the  French  had  reached  Mexico  City  and 
to  all  appearances  gained  control  of  the  country.  The 
French  army  under  Bazaine  had  been  busy  subduing 
those  incorrigible  natives  in  the  outlying  districts  who 
still  dared  to  :resent  the  invasion.  President  Juarez 
in  his  little  black  coach  had  been  forced  further  and 
further  from  his  rightful  capital — first  to  San  Luis 
Potosi,  then  to  Saltillo  and  Monterey.  Later  on  he 
crossed  the  desert  to  Chihuahua,  and  finally  landed  at 
Paso  del  Norte,  just  across  from  the  United  States  bor- 
der. In  the  south,  the  young  General  Diaz  had  for  a 
long  time  managed  to  hold  Oajaca  against  the  Imperi- 
als, but  finally  was  forced  to  surrender. 

While  these  conflicts  had  been  going  on  in  Mexico, 
other  conflicts  had  been  taking  place  in  the  mind  of 
the  future  Emperor.  He  seems  to  have  had  a  pre- 
monition that  all  would  not  be  well  with  him  there. 

"]\Iust  I  separate  myself  from  my  own  beautiful 
country?"  he  wrote  in  his  diary  at  this  time.     "You 

257 


MEXICO 

speak  to  me  of  a  scepter,  a  palace  and  power.  You  set 
before  me  a  limitless  future.  Must  I  accompany  you 
to  far  shores  beyond  the  great  ocean  ?  You  desire  that 
the  web  of  my  life  should  be  wrought  with  gold  and 
diamonds.  But  have  you  power  to  give  me  peace  of 
mind?  Do  riches  confer  happiness  in  your  sight? 
Oh,  let  me  rather  pursue  my  quiet  life  beside  the  shad- 
owing myrtle.  The  study  of  science  and  the  muse  are 
more  pleasing  to  me  than  the  blaze  of  gold  and  dia- 
monds." 

Why  indeed  did  he  go,  we  might  inquire  ?  Why  not 
stay  by  his  myrtles,  since  he  loved  them  so  much  ?  But 
the  Archduke  was  perhaps  not  of  such  a  retiring  dis- 
position as  his  writings  implied.  With  all  his  pic- 
turesque regrets,  he  was  quite  convinced  of  his  own 
importance  in  the  scheme  of  things.  He  called  him- 
self, in  one  of  his  literary  productions,  "poor  flutter- 
ing insect  of  a  day" ;  but  in  the  next  sentence  he  spoke 
of  feeling  the  pride  of  "majestic  power,  God-given," 
throbbing  in  his  veins.  It  would  be  "agreeable,"  he 
thought,  to  stand  at  the  top  of  some  grand  marble 
staircase,  and,  "glancing  downward  over  all  the  world, 
to  feel  myself  the  First,  like  the  sun  in  the  firmament." 
Here  spoke  the  descendant  of  the  Emperor  Charles  V 
of  Germany  and  I  of  Spain — not  the  triflei  with  the 
Muse  in  shady  gardens. 

To  readers  to-day  this  blue-eyed,  poetry-writing 
archduke  may  seem  pompous  and  sentimental.    A  keen- 

258 


MAXIMILIAX,  2^IEDDLEE  AND  MARTYR 

"witted  American  thought  him  so  then.  The  American 
Ambassador  at  Vienna,  John  Motley,  wrote  to  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes: 

There  is  no  glory  in  the  grass  nor  verdure  in  anything.  In 
fact,  we  have  nothing  green  here  but  the  Archduke  Maxi- 
milian, who  fiiTnly  believes  that  he  is  going  forth  to  Mexico 
to  establish  an  American  empire,  and  that  it  is  his  divine 
mission  to  destroy  the  dragon  of  democracy  and  reestablish  the 
true  Church,  the  right  divine,  and  all  sorts  of  games.  Poor 
young  man ! 


Poor  young  man  indeed ! 

Carlotta  was  even  more  anxious  for  imperial  hon- 
ors than  her  husband,  and  she  urged  him  to  take  the 
final  step.  The  second  party  of  deputies  found  the 
couple,  gorgeously  dressed,  standing  in  state  in  the  re- 
ception hall,  in  the  midst  of  their  attendants,  ladies 
of  honor,  and  nobles.  It  was  a  beautiful  day  in  April, 
1864.  Upon  receiving  a  copy  of  the  vote,  Maximilian 
accepted  in  gracious  words,  and  took  the  oath  of  office. 
The  Mexican  flag  was  run  up  over  Miramar,  the  Aus- 
trian ships  in  the  harbor  thundered  salutes,  and  the 
delegates  who  had  betrayed  their  country  to  foreign- 
ers were  moved  to  tears  by  the  solemnity  of  the  oc- 
casion. 

Maximilian  went  to  Rome  to  obtain  the  Pope's  bene- 
diction, and  soon  after,  he  and  Carlotta  set  sail  for  the 
New  World.  On  the  voyage,  they  amused  themselves 
ty  inventing  rules  of  etiquette  for  their  imperial  house- 

259 


MEXICO 

holds,  choosing  uniforms  for  their  bodyguard,  design-' 
ing  decorations  and  medals.  They  were  like  two  chil- 
dren playing  at  being  king  and  queen,  rather  than  seri- 
ous rulers  of  a  distracted  country. 

Their  arrival  at  Vera  Cruz  was  very  disappointing. 
l^ot  only  did  a  heavy  rain  cast  a  damper  on  their  spir- 
its, but  the  deputation  sent  from  the  capital  to  welcome 
them  had  not  arrived.  They  entered  the  port  as  ordi- 
nary citizens,  without  creating  the  least  excitement. 
Soon,  however,  the  official  welcomers  arrived,  and  the 
party  took  carriages  for  Orizaba.  The  roads  were 
washed  out  with  raiu ;  a  broken  axle  nearly  landed 
Maximilian  and  Carl'otta  in  the  ditch.  But  they 
reached  Orizaba  safely,  and  there  the  scene  changed. 
The  rain  had  stopped,  and  the  Indians,  rendered  en- 
thusiastic by  the  Conservatives  in  the  well-known  way, 
turned  out  to  welcome  the  royal  party  with  flowers  and 
smiles.  From  Orizaba  to  the  capital  their  journey 
appeared  to  be  a  triumphant  progi-ess.  They  entered 
the  City. of  Mexico  in  a  blaze  of  glory:  the  hot  June 
sun,  the  flags,  the  streets  and  balconies  crowded  with 
hurrahing  people,  recalled  the  entrance  of  Cortes  at  the 
time  of  Aztec  splendor. 

Sara  Yorke  Stevenson,  an  American  girl  who  was 
there  and  has  written  an  interesting  book  on  Maximil- 
ian, tells  us  that  as  the  tall,  fair,  beautiful  couple,  gra- 
ciously smiling  and  bowing,  passed  through  the  ranks 
of  their  small,  brown,  ragged  subjects,  most  of  the  spec- 

2G0 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

tators  could  not  help  thinking  that  the  legend  of  the 
Eair  God  had  come  true  at  last. 

Maximilian  and  Carlotta  were  enthroned  with  great 
splendor  in  the  Cathedral  of  Mexico,  and  presently 
went  to  live  in  Chapultepec  Castle,  the  pleasure  pal- 
ace of  the  Aztec  kings,  now  remodeled  in  an  expensive 
manner  to  suit  the  latest  occupants.  There  they  held 
an  elaborate  court,  modeled  after  that  of  Austria. 
They  ate  their  meals  from  plates  of  solid  silver  and 
gold,  costing  a  round  million  of  dollars.  They  rode 
in  a  state  coach  made,  like  Cinderella's,  of  glass,  and 
heavily  gilded.  It  was  unlike  Cinderella's  in  costing 
$47,000  from  the  State  treasury^  instead  of  merely  the 
wave  of  a  fairy  wand.  To-day  this  coach  may  be  seen 
in  the  National  Museum  of  Mexico,  alongside  of  Presi- 
dent Juarez'  shabby  little  black  carriage. 

It  is  said  that  $5000  in  Mexican  gold  was  handed  on 
a  gilt  plate  to  Maximilian  every  morning  for  pocket 
money,  and  about  $500  given  to  Carlotta  in  the  same 
way.  Besides  this,  Maximilian  spent  huge  sums  on 
all  kinds  of  foolish  luxuries  for  himself  and  the  court. 
The  debts  incurred  in  Paris  and  London  at  this  time 
have  formed  a  heavy  drain  on  Mexican  resources  ever 
since. 

Of  course  the  society  people  and  the  tradespeople  in 
the  City  of  Mexico  benefited  for  the  time  by  all  the 
French  money  spent  there.  Such  people,  and  others 
too    ignorant   to   know   better,    approved    of   the   new 

2G1 


4 


MEXICO 

regime.  The  French  brought  an  air  of  gayety  and  ele- 
gance to  the  always  attractive  capital.  Their  officers 
soon  learned  how  to  make  love  to  the  pretty  senoritas 
by  "playing  the  bear,"  Mexican  fashion;  that  is,  rid- 
ing up  and  down  in  front  of  the  window,  casting  long- 
ing glances  at  the  loved  one,  or  riding  behind  her  car- 
riage in  the  Paseo.  They  made  up  a  French  word 
for  this  kind  of  courtship;  "noviotage,"  from  "novio," 
betrothed  lover.  With  the  Mexicans,  it  ends  finally  in 
marriage;  with  the  French,  it  did  not  have  time  to,  so 
short  was  their  stay. 

Maximilian  spent  the  summer  in  traveling  about  his 
empire.  Upon  his  return,  instead  of  pondering  the 
serious  affairs  of  empire,  he  wasted  his  time  settling 
trivial  points  of  etiquette  in  his  court.  In  place  of 
drawing  the  strongest  men  he  could  find  about  him,  he 
appointed  to  the  most  important  posts  incompetent  for- 
eigners who  knew  nothing  of  the  country.  He  had  a 
wild  idea  of  conciliating  his  opponents,  the  Liberals, 
most  of  whom  would  not  be  conciliated  on  any  terms; 
but  in  the  vain  attempt  to  win  them  over,  he  neglected 
and  offended  the  French  and  ]\Icxicans  who  had  brought 
him  there.  He  opposed  Napoleon's  plans  for  the  de- 
velopment of  the  country,  and  introduced  impracticable 
projects  of  his  own.  He  hindered  General  Bazaine's 
actions,  and  disapproved  of  his  attempts  to  create  a 
national   army.     Carlotta,   his  "better  half,"   tried  to 

262 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

help  him,  but  was  given  to  understand  very  plainly 
that  she  must  not  meddle  in  affairs  of  state. 

One  of  Maximilian's  pet  plans  was  a  Department  of 
the  Navy.  As  the  Mexican  government  did  not  even 
owm  a  canoe,  much  less  a  battleship,  this  created  much 
merriment,  Sara  Yorke  Stevenson  tells  us.  Captain 
Destroyat,  a  French  naval  officer,  was  made  Secretary 
of  the  Navy.  He  lived  on  a  street  which  was  often 
flooded  in  rainy  weather.  One  morning  after  a  heavy 
downpour  some  of  his  friends  set  sail  to  a  tiny  fleet  of 
toy  ships,  which,  bravely  flying  the  Mexican  flag,  tacked 
as  toy  ships  will  and  came  to  an  anchor  just  at  his 
door.  It  was  his  Mexican  navy!  The  officer  enjoyed 
the  joke,  but  Maximilian,  who  heard  of  it,  was  much 
offended. 

Ear  away,  in  the  mountains  of  Chihuahua,  the  stolid 
Indian,  Benito  Juarez,  with  only  his  faithful  Secre- 
tary of  State,  Lerdo  de  Tejada,  to  keep  him  company, 
watched  and  waited.  His  army  was  melting  away,  he 
had  no  money,  his  claims  were  ignored  by  most  of  the 
civilized  nations,  and  yet  he  did  not  give  up,  for  he 
knew  that  he  was  the  real  ruler  of  Mexico,  and  that 
this  "Emperor"  was  only  an  impostor — an  innocent 
one,  perhaps,  but  an  impostor  none  the  less. 

When  ]\raximilian  had  been  in  Mexico  but  a  few 
months,  Napoleon  showed  that  he  was  becoming  tired 
of  his  bargain.  "I  think,"  he  wrote  to  General  Ba- 
zaiuQ  in  August,  "that  the  Emperor  should  show  more 

263 


MEXICO 

decision."  He  knew  Maximilian  was  not  strong 
enough  to  stand  alone. 

To  tell  the  truth,  Napoleon's  scheme  was  meeting 
with  opposition  both  at  home  and  abroad.  "One  can 
do  anything  with  bayonets  but  sit  upon  them,"  re- 
marked "Plon-Plon,"  Prince  Napoleon,  the  Emperor's 
brother.  He  meant  that  Maximilian's  throne,  which 
depended  entirely  upon  the  bayonets  of  the  French 
army,  was  not  a  safe  or  a  comfortable  resting-place. 
The  French  had  thought  at  first  that  the  majority  of 
Mexicans  would  be  pleased  with  the  new  regime.  In- 
stead, they  heard  news  of  uprisings,  of  martial  law, 
burned  villages,  and  wholesale  execution  of  the  natives. 
The  French  asked  themselves  what  was  the  use  of  all 
this,  especially  as  they  saw  nothing  of  the  far-famed 
Mexican  riches,  but  instead  had  continually  to  lend 
the  country  large  sums  of  money. 

But  even  more  disturbing  to  Napoleon  than  the  com- 
plaints of  his  own  Chamber  of  Deputies  was  the  re- 
monstrance of  a  foreign  power — the  United  States. 

Only  the  strain  and  stress  of  the  Civil  War  had  kept 
Uncle  Sam  from  voicing  his  sentiments  about  the  Mex- 
ican tangle  some  years  before.  Napoleon  knew  this, 
and  probably  never  would  have  invaded  Mexico  if  he 
had  not  thought  the  United  States  in  no  position  to 
interfere.  It  was  absolutely  against  the  Monroe  doc- 
trine that  foreigners  should  meddle  in  this  way  with 
the  affairs  of  the  American  continent,  and  now.  that 

264: 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLEK  AND  MAKTYR 

the  war  was  over,  and  even  before  it  was  over,  the 
United  States  expressed  its  resentment  in  no  unmis- 
takaljle  terms.  About  a  month  before  Maximilian's 
arrival,  our  Secretary  of  State,  Mr.  Seward,  forwarded 
to  our  ambassador  in  France  a  copy  of  a  resolution 
passed  by  our  House  of  Representatives  expressing  its 
unanimous  opposition  to  any  recognition  of  a  monarchy 
in  Mexico.  Upon  Maximilian's  arrival,  our  Ambas- 
sador in  Mexico,  the  Hon.  Thomas  Corwin,  left  the 
country. 

After  the  defeat  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  the 
United  States  was  in  a  position  to  back  up  its  requests 
with  a  splendid  army  of  veterans.  It  insisted  upon 
the  withdrawal  at  once  of  the  French  troops  from  the 
continent  of  North  America.  In  1866  General  Sheri- 
dan began  massing  his  troops  on  the  Mexican  border. 
The  Liberals  took  courage  and  rallied  to  their  stand- 
ards. Napoleon  was  forced  to  send  orders  to  General 
Bazaine  to  draw  his  troops  in  toward  the  capital.  This 
was  the  first  move  of  the  final  complete  retreat.  As 
the  French  troops  fell  back,  the  Liberals  advanced 
towards  the  capital  from  north  and  south. 

We  are  getting  a  year  ahead  of  our  story.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1865,  Maximilian,  still  under  the  delusion  that 
his  empire  was  successful,  and  hearing  that  Juarez  had 
crossed  over  to  the  United  States,  took  ii  into  his  head 
to  consider  the  Revolution  at  an  end,  and  issued  a  fool- 
ish and  cruel  decree,  permitting  all  armed  Republicans 

265 


MEXICO 

to  be  taken  as  outlaws,  tried  by  court  martial,  and  shot 
within  twenty-four  bours.  In  other  words,  this  decree 
legalized  the  murder  of  prisoners  whose  only  -crime 
had  been  fighting  for  their  country.  It  was  called  "El 
Bando  N'egTO,"  the  "Black  Decree,"  and  raised  a  storm 
of  indignation  in  the  United  States  as  well  as  in  Mex- 
ico. 

Bj  this  time  Napoleon  was  in  the  shadow  of  war  at 
home,  and  could  no  longer  spare  a  single  soldier  for 
Mexico.  In  the  winter  of  1866,  he  sent  Baron  Saillard 
to  Mexico  to  warn  Maximilian  that  he  must  prepare 
for  a  gradual  withdrawal  of  French  forces.  Maximil- 
ian paid  no  attention.  In  May  l^apoleon  sent  another 
still  more  decisive  letter.  In  this,  he  went  back  on 
the  agreement  made  when  Maximilian  accepted  the 
throne,  by  which  French  armies  were  to  be  kept  in  Mex- 
ico for  six  years,  and  said  that  the  last  detachment  of 
the  French  army  must  be  out  of  the  country  by  'No- 
vember 1,  1867.  He  told  Maximilian  that  he  must  ex- 
pect no  more  French  money,  but  must  instead  give  the 
French  one-half  of  the  revenues  from  the  customs  at 
Tampico  and  Vera  Cruz. 

Maximilian  unwillingly  agreed  to  this  violation  of 
the  treaty,  not  apparently  realizing  what  it  would  mean. 
He  was  like  a  sleeper  whom  nothing  short  of  an  earth- 
quake would  arouse.  The  earthquake  had  not  yet 
come.  Maximilian,  only  faintly  aware  of  the  distant 
rumblings,  went  on  with  his  dream  of  empire. 

266 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

In  a  few  months  it  became  evident,  even  to  him,  that 
things  were  going  wrong.  The  Liberal  armies  were 
gi'owing  larger  and  larger,  and  coming  nearer  and 
nearer.  The  French  soldiers  were  preparing  to  leave. 
None  were  left  to  defend  Maximilian's  throne  but  his 
Imperial  legion,  which  consisted  of  French  volunteers, 
Belgians,  Austrians,  and  renegade  Mexicans.  There 
was  no  money  in  the  Imperial  treasury  to  pay  them, 
and  they  w^ere  fast  turning  into  brigands,  who  robbed 
the  people  right  and  left.  Maximilian's  brother, 
Franz-Josef,  Emperor  of  Austria,  wished  to  send  him 
troops,  but  was  prevented  by  the  United  States.  At 
last  it  began  to  dawn  upon  the  Emperor  that  his  Em- 
pire was  melting  away.  Should  he  abdicate  before  it 
was  too  late  ? 

As  usual  in  all  crises  of  his  life,  he  hesitated.  And 
while  he  was  hesitating,  his  * 'better  half"  took  matters 
into  her  own  hands.  Pretty,  proud  Carlotta,  king's 
daughter  and  sister.  Empress  on  her  own  account,  could 
not  believe  that  Napoleon  would  really  let  her  hus- 
band lose  his  throne.  Womanlike,  she  was  sure  she 
could  accomplish  everything  by  a  personal  interview. 
She  told  her  husband  that  she  herself  would  go  to  Eu- 
rope and  persuade  Napoleon  to  think  better  of  his  con- 
duct. On  July  13,  1866,  she  set  sail  from  Vera  Cruz, 
accompanied  only  by  a  lady-in-waiting,  Madame  Del 
Barrio. 

Before  they  reached  France,  Madame  Del  Barrio 
267 


MEXICO 

tells  us  that  the  poor  Empress  was  in  a  state  of  great 
nervous  excitement.  This  increased  when  she  found 
no  one  to  welcome  her  at  their  landing-place  of  Brest, 
nor  at  Paris.  She  trembled  from  head  to  foot  when 
she  stepped  into  the  hired  carriage  that  took  them  to 
their  hotel.  For  twenty-four  hours  Napoleon  ignored 
her,  but  on  the  second  day  one  of  the  Empress  Eu- 
genie's chamberlains  came  with  a  note  from  him  ask- 
ing Carlotta  to  tea  at  the  summer  palace  of  St.  Cloud. 

Carlotta  went.  She  had  an  interview  with  Napoleon 
and  Eugenie  which  lasted  an  hour  or  longer.  Sud- 
denly Madame  Del  Barrio,  who  was  waiting  outside, 
heard  her  cry  in  agonized  tones, 

"Indeed  |I  should  have  known  who  you  are  and  who 
I  am!  I  should  not  have  dishonored  the  blood  of  the 
Bourbons  in  my  veins  by  humbling  myself  before  a 
Bonaparte,  who  is  nothing  but  an  adventurer !"  There 
was  the  sound  of  a  fall.  Madame  Del  Barrio  rushed 
into  the  room  to  find  Carlotta  lying  on  the  floor,  while 
the  Empress  Eug'nie,  much  distressed,  bent  over  her 
and  tried  to  revive  her.  Napoleon  had  brought  on  the 
fainting  fit  by  telling  Carlotta  that  he  could  do  noth- 
ing more  for  her  husband. 

The  Empress  of  France  put  a  cup  of  water  to  the 
lips  of  the  unfortunate  Empress  of  Mexico.  Carlotta, 
reviving,  dashed  it  away,  crying  that  Eugenie  was  try- 
ing to  poison  her. 

As  soon  as  Carlotta  was  able,  she  hastened  to  Rome 
268 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

to  see  the  Pope,  Pius  IX.  With  a  wild  disregard  of 
etiquette,  she  rushed  past  the  chamberlains  at  the  Vat- 
ican, and  into  the  Pope's  presence.  Her  face  was  hag- 
gard, her  eyes  wild.  She  threw  a  handful  of  chest- 
nuts on  the  table  in  front  of  the  astonished  Holy  Father. 

"These,  with  water  from  a  fountain,  are  all  I  have 
had  to  eat  and  drink  for  twenty-four  hours,"  she  ex- 
claimed.    "Napoleon's  agents  are  trying  to  poison  me!" 

The  Pope  did  not  realize  at  first  that  the  Empress's 
mind  was  affected  by  her  troubles.  He  ordered  food 
to  be  brought,  and  she  ate  ravenously.  But  soon  it 
became  apparent  that  she  was,  insane.  She  insisted 
that  every  one  was  trying  to  poison  her,  and  would  eat 
nothing  but  eggs  laid  in  her  presence  by  hens  kept  in 
her  hotel  suite !  She  haunted  the  Vatican  every  day. 
Presently  her  family  took  her  away,  raving  mad,  and 
shut  her  up  in  a  Belgian  castle,  where  she  is  still  liv- 
ing. She  never  again  saw  her  husband.  She  never 
knew  the  fate  that  befell  him ! 

To  Maximilian  one  day  in  October  came  the  terrible 
news  about  Carlotta.  He  was  overcome.  Further  re- 
sistance did  not  seem  worth  while,  and  very  early  on 
the  morning  of  October  21,  1866,  he  left  Mexico  City, 
intending  to  go  to  Vera  Cruz  and  take  the  Austrian 
man-of-war  that  was  waiting  there  to  convey  him  to 
Europe.  He  had  gone  no  further  than  Orizaba  when 
he  made  one  of  his  fatal  changes  of  mind. 

In  some  mysterious  way  a  mysterious  German  priest 
269 


MEXICO 

called  the  Abbe  Fischer  had  gained  an  influence  over 
the  mind  of  Maximilian.  The  Emperor,  during  the 
first  part  of  his  reign,  had  tried  to  break  away  from 
the  High  Church  party,  who  were  chiefly  responsible 
for  bringing  him  over.  He  had  offended  the  Pope 
deeply  by  not  taking  any  steps  to  recover  the  lands  of 
the  clergy.  He  had  sent  into  exile  two  notorious  High 
Church  generals,  Miramon  and  Marquez,  who  had  led 
the  High  Church  forces  in  the  late  wars.  He  had 
done  everything  he  could  to  win  over  the  Liberals  to 
his  side.  But  now  the  Liberals  were  all  against  him 
once  more,  and  the  Abbe  Fischer,  his  bad  angel,  was 
whispering  to  him  to  join  forces  again  with  the  Church 
and  the  Conservatives.  He  persuaded  the  Emperor  not 
to  abdicate,  not  to  leave  the  country,  but  to  stay  and 
fight.     Maximilian  consented. 

"Maximilian  has  got  him  a  horse  and  is  off  to  con- 
quer an  empire !"  said  Marshal  Niel,  one  of  I^apoleon's 
generals,  when  he  heard  of  this  decision. 

Greatly  rejoicing,  Generals  Marquez  and  Miramon 
landed  once  more  in  Mexico,  and  offered  their  swords 
to  the  cause.  It  was  arranged  that  they  should  join 
with  a  native  general,  Thomas  Mejia,  in  a  campaign 
against  the  Liberals.  On  December  1,  1866,  Maximil- 
ian issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Mexican  nation,  de- 
claring that  he  would  remain  at  his  post  till  the  end. 
On  the  twelfth,  he  went  back  to  Mexico  City. 

Soon  after,  the  French  army  left  the  capital.  They 
270 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

passed  a  gi'eat  building  where  all  the  windows  were 
curtained,  and  not  a  face  was  visible.  It  was  the  Na- 
tional Palace.  At  a  window,  well  hidden  by  the  cur- 
tains, a  tall,  bearded  man  watched  the  last  soldier  pass 
out  of  sight.     It  was  Maximilian. 

"At  last,"  he  exclaimed,  turning  to  his  secretary, 
"I  am  free!" 

He  was  as  free  as  a  man  in  a  cage  of  tigers  with  the 
door  locked  from  the  outside! 

One  of  Maximilian's  first  acts  was  to  issue  orders 
to  his  generals  to  grant  no  quarter  to  prisoners  at  arms, 
and  to  sentence  the  chief  men  of  the  Liberals,  includ- 
ing the  President,  to  be  shot,  if  captured !  This  order 
fell  into  the  hands  of  Juarez  and  did  not  help  matters 
when  Maximilian  came  to  be  judged. 

The  Republican  generals  Corona  and  Escobeda  were 
advancing  from  the  north  towards  the  capital,  while 
the  brilliant,  fearless  Diaz  was  preparing  to  capture 
Puebla  and  then  march  towards  Mexico  City.  Maxi- 
milian was  in  a  trap.  His  Cabinet  advised  him  to 
put  himself  as  commander-in-chief  at  the  head  of  his 
forces,  and  collect  his  army  at  Queretaro,  where  they 
might  put  a  stop  to  Corona's  and  Escobeda's  advance. 
Maximilian  did  so.  He  had  about  10,000  men  at 
Queretaro.  General  Miramon,  the  more  capable  of  his 
two  generals,  wished  to  attack  the  Republican  forces 
at  once,  before  they  combined  and  surrounded  the  city. 
General  Marquez  objected,  and  Maximilian  sided  with 

271 


MEXICO 

him.  Several  days  passed  in  indecision,  and  mean- 
while the  Republicans  were  coming  nearer.  Soon  they 
had  invested  the  town,  and  it  was  too  late  to  strike. 
General  Marquez  then  took  all  the  available  cavalry 
and  left  for  the  capital.  His  retreat,  of  course,  was  a 
bad  thing  for  the  defense.  His  excuse  was,  that  he 
would  bring  back  reinforcements  within  twenty  days; 
but  the  weeks  passed  and  he  did  not  return.  He  was 
profitably  occupied  in  robbing  the  inhabitants  of  the 
City  of  Mexico  of  everything  they  possessed.  At  last 
the  inhabitants  turned  upon  the  "Leopard,"  as  he  was 
called,  and  it  is  said  that  he  only  escaped  by  hiding 
himself  in  a  new-made  grave.  He  found  his  way  to 
Cuba,  where  he  lived  for  twenty-seven  years  before  he 
dared  come  back  to  Mexico.  So  much  for  one  of  Maxi- 
milian's principal  defenders. 

The  siege  at  Queretaro  lasted  for  two  months,  with- 
out the  Imperial  forces  accomplishing  anything  in  par- 
ticular. But  some  of  Maximilian's  best  qualities  now 
came  to  the  front,  and  he  won  all  hearts  by  his  kind- 
ness and  courage.  He  shared  the  hardships  of  the 
siege,  and  was  reckless  in  exposing  himself  to  fire,  his 
tall  figure  making  him  a  conspicuous  mark.  He  did 
not  appear  to  realize  how  serious  affairs  were,  and 
spent  much  time  conferring  decorations  and  honors  on 
his  favorites.  One  of  these  was  his  aide-de-camp, 
Prince  Salm-Salm,  an  Austrian  who  had  married  a 
very  attractive  American  girl.     He  had  fought  on  the 

272 


MAXIMILIAN",  MEDDLER  AND  MARTYR 

Union  side  in  the  United  States  and  had  now  come  to 
help  put  down  what  he  considered  the  rebellion  in  Mex- 
ico. His  wife  was  looked  down  upon  by  the  conven- 
tional ladies  in  Mexican  society  because  she  took  the 
field  with  her  husband,  like  a  soldadera,  or  woman 
camp-follower,  mounted  on  a  big  steed  and  dressed  in 
a  uniform  of  blue  and  silver.  She  and  her  husband 
were  the  most  loyal  friends  poor  Maximilian  ever  made, 
and  did  everything  to  help  him  in  his  tragedy. 

By  the  night  of  the  fourteenth  of  May,  even  the  Em- 
peror knew  that  things  were  almost  hopeless.  As  a 
last  resort,  he  and  Miramon  planned  to  cut  their  way 
out  of  the  city.  On  the  night  before  the  expected  sor- 
tie, the  Emperor  and  his  staff  retired  as  usual  in  their 
headquarters  in  the  convent  of  La  Cruz.  A  young 
lieutenant  of  artillery,  named  Haus,  and  his  men, 
guarded  the  gate  to  the  convent  garden.  Suddenly  one 
of  Maximilian's  most  trusted  officers,  Colonel  Lopez, 
appeared  at  the  gate,  followed  by  a  body  of  soldiers. 

"These  are  a  reinforcement  of  artillery,"  he  told 
Haus.  ''Arouse  your  artillerymen,  have  this  gun  taken 
out  of  its  embrasure,  and  turned  obliquely  to  the  left, 
quickly." 

Haus  thought  the  order  a  strange  one,  but,  since  his 
colonel  gave  it,  he  had  to  obey.  The  gun  was  turned 
aside  and  the  strange  soldiers  entered.  Haus  stopped 
to  pick  up  his  sword  and  zarape,  which  he  had  left  on 
the  ground  behind  him.     They  were  gone.     He  turned 

273 


MEXICO 

to  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  strange  soldiers,  to  ask 
him  what  had  become  of  the  missing  articles,  and  saw 
that  he  also  was  a  stranger. 

"Who  are  you  ?"  he  asked. 

The  officer  replied  that  he  was  one  of  the  brigade 
of  General  Mendez,  an  Imperial  general. 

Hans  knew  all  the  officers  in  this  brigade,  and  knew 
that  this  man  was  not  one  of  them.  Moreover^  there 
seemed  an  unusual  stir  and  confusion.  His  suspicions 
were  aroused.  Again  he  asked  the  officer  who  he  was, 
and  received  another  and  quite  unsatisfactory  answer. 

"Amid  so  many  falsehoods,  I  suspect  treason !"  Haus 
exclaimed. 

"Have  no  fear,  senor,"  the  strange  officer  replied, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation.  "You  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  regular  army.  We  are  not  guerilleros;  we  be- 
long to  the  battalion  of  the  supremos  poderes  of  the  re- 
public." 

"What?  We  are  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy?  But 
how  was  it  that  Colonel  Lopez  let  you  in?  He  must 
be  a  traitor." 

An  old  sergeant  who  was  standing  by  said  sadly, 

"Are  you  only  now  finding  this  out?" 

Meanwhile  enemy  troops  quietly  filled  the  convent, 
taking  the  places  of  the  Imperials.  When  Maximilian 
awoke,  not  one  of  his  guard  was  in  his  apartments. 
Rushing  out  with  his  minister  and  secretary  to  see  what 
had  happened,  he  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the 
■    27-i 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLEK  AND  MARTYR 

Liberal  officer  in  command,  who,  in  order  to  save  Maxi- 
milian's life,  pretended  not  to  recognize  liim  and  let 
him  pass  into  the  town.  In  the  plaza  Maximilian  and 
his  officers,  Miramon  and  Mejia,  tried  to  collect  their 
scattered  forces,  but  the  army  had  deserted,  almost  in 
a  body.  Lopez,  the  traitor,  not  yet  known  as  such  to 
Maximilian,  joined  him.  He  begged  Maximilian  to 
hide  in  a  certain  house.  '*I  do  not  hide,"  exclaimed 
the  Emperor  proudly.  He  also  refused  the  horse  that 
Lopez  offered  him  that  he  might  escape.  A  flag  of 
truce  was  sent  to  the  Republican  camp,  and  Maximil- 
ian surrendered  his  sword  to  Colonel  Echegaray.  He 
was  taken  back  to  his  old  quarters  in  La  Cruz  con- 
vent. The  Liberal  officers  came  to  call  on  him  and 
spoke  contemputuously  of  Lopez,  who  had  betrayed  him. 
"Such  men  are  used,  then  kicked,"  said  one. 

Maximilian  was  slow,  as  usual,  to  realize  his  danger. 
He  was  told  that  he  must  stand  trial  for  his  life.  He 
tried  to  put  them  off  with  a  childish  excuse.  He  was 
no  longer  Emperor  of  Mexico,  he  said,  but  only  an 
Archduke  of  Austria,  entitled  to  safe  passage  to  Eu- 
rope. This  was  because  he  had  signed  an  act  of  ab- 
dication a  month  before.  As  he  had  kept  the  act  se- 
cret at  the  time  he  signed  it,  had  particularly  drawn  it 
up  to  take  effect  only  when  he  should  be  killed  or  cap- 
tured, and  had  meanwhile  gone  on  issuing  imperial  de- 
crees right  and  left,  it  was  about  as  much  good  as  an 
accident   insurance   policy   drawn   after   the    accident. 

275 


MEXICO 

President  Juarez,  the  dogged  Indian  wlio  had  at  last 
come  into  bis  own,  ordered  the  court-martial  to  pro- 
ceed. Maximilian,  Miramon  and  Mejia  were  tried» 
In  twenty-four  hours  the  verdict  was  returned — death! 

In  Maximilian's  case  it  was  because:  He  bad  in- 
vaded the  country  without  right  or  claim ;  he  bad  called 
in  foreigners  to  assist  him  in  unjust  warfare;  be  bad 
overtbro\ATi  the  Constitution  and  the  institutions  of  the 
country;  be  had  destroyed  the  lives  and  property  of 
Mexicans;  and  (the  Black  Decree  come  home  to  roost!) 
be  bad  barbarously  decreed  the  murder  of  Mexicans 
who  were  defending  their  country. 

The  Queen  of  England,  ISTapoleon  of  France,  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  the  condemned  man's  brother,  and 
the  United  States  government,  all  sent  messages  to 
Juarez,  begging  him  to  spare  the  royal  culprit.  Prin- 
cess Salm-Salm,  after  several  daring  but  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  effect  the  ex-Emperor's  escape  from  the 
convent,  herself  went  to  Juarez  and  fell  on  her  knees, 
asking  him  to  pardon  Maximilian.     Juarez  replied; 

"1  am  grieved,  madam,  to  see  you  thus  on  your 
knees  before  me ;  but  if  all  the  kings  and  queens  of  Eu- 
rope were  in  your  place,  I  could  not  spare  his  life.  It 
is  not  I  who  take  it,  it  is  the  people  and  the  law,  and 
if  I  should  not  do  its  will  the  people  would  take  it  and 
mine  also." 

Erom  the  moment  that  Maximilian  received  the  sen- 
tence the  tawdriness  and  triviality  dropped  from  him, 

276 


MAXIMILIAN,  MEDDLER  Ai^D  MARTYR 

and  he  became,  in  reality,  what  he  had  been  before  only 
in  pretense,  a  hero.  He  quietly  made  ready  for  death, 
dictating  letters,  arranging  his  affairs  down  to  the  last 
detail,  and  spending  much  time  with  a  priest,  who  ad- 
ministered the  last  sacraments.  This  priest  was  not 
Father  Fischer,  who  had  long  since  fled. 

A  night  or  two  before  the  time  set  for  execution 
Maximilian  sent  a  telegram  to  Juarez,  asking  him  to 
spare  the  lives  of  his  generals  Miramon  and  Mejia.  It 
is  said  that  Juarez  offered  Mejia  his  pardon,  but  the 
loyal  little  general  refused  it. 

Shortly  before  the  end,  Maximilian  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  Carlotta: 

My  Beloved  Carlotta  :  If  some  day  you  are  permitted  by 
God  to  be  restored,  you  will  hear  of  the  increasing  misfortune 
which  has  followed  me  since  you  departed  for  Europe.  You 
carried  my  soul  away  with  you.  My  hopes  have  been  shat- 
tered by  so  many  unexpected  strokes  that  death  is  a  joyous 
release  rather  than  an  agony.  I  go  down  gloriously  as  a  sol- 
dier and  as  a  king,  defeated  but  not  dishonored.  If  your 
suffering  be  such  that  God  may  summon  you  to  be  with  me, 
I  will  bless  the  divine  hand  which  has  been  laid  so  heavily 
upon  us.    Farewell.    Farewell. 

Your  unhappy  Maximilian. 

A  short  time  before  his  execution  Maximilian  was 
informed  that  Carlotta  was  dead.  "It  is  well,"  said 
he.     "There  is  one  tie  less  to  bind  me  to  the  world." 

Shortly  after  daybreak  of  June  19,  a  carriage  pro- 
cession made  its  way  to  the  Hill  of  the  Bells,  on  the 

277 


MEXICO 

outskirts  of  Queretaro.  Four  thousand  soldiers  of  the 
Republic  and  a  great  crowd  of  citizens  were  gathered 
there,  waiting  for  the  event  that  was  to  make  this  a 
Mexican  holiday.  Near  a  low  adobe  wall  an  officer 
and  seven  soldiers  with  rifles  also  waited. 

The  carriage  arrived.  Two  Mexicans  in  blue  and 
silver  uniform,  a  priest,  and  a  tall  European  in  a  frock 
coat  alighted.  The  priest  seemed  about  to  faint,  and 
the  European  held  smelling-salts  to  his  nostrils. 
"What  a  beautiful  day!"  he  said,  as  he  breathed  the 
fresh  morning  air.  "On  such  a  one  I  have  always 
wished  to  die!"  As  the  three  condemned  advanced 
towards  the  wall,  the  tall  man  said  to  one  of  the  gen- 
erals, 

"A  brave  soldier.  General  Miramon,  should  be  hon- 
ored even  in  his  last  hour;  permit  me  to  give  you  the 
place  of  honor."  To  Mejia,  "General,  what  has  not 
been  rewarded  on  earth,  will  be  in  Heaven." 

The  speaker  then  distributed  gold  among  the  sol- 
diers in  the  small  squad,  and  asked  them  to  aim  care- 
fully at  his  heart,  not  at  his  face,  that  his  mother,  to 
whom  his  body  would  be  sent,  might  recognize  him. 
He  requested  of  the  officer  that  his  eyes  might  be  left 
unbandaged.  Then,  turning  to  the  crowd,  Maximilian, 
one-time  ruler  of  Mexico,  made  his  last  speech  to  his 
former  subjects: 

"Mexicans!  May  my  blood  be  the  last  to  be  spilled 
for  the  welfare  of  the  country;   and  if  it  should  be 

278 


MAXIMILIAJSr,  MEDDLEK  AND  MARTYR 

necessary  that  its  sons  should  still  shed  theirs,  may  it 
flow  for  its  good,  but  never  by  treason.  Long  live  in- 
dependence !     Long  live  Mexico !" 

The  speaker  laid  his  hand  on  his  breast,  drew  him- 
self up  to  his  full  neight,  and  looked  straight  in  front 
of  him.  A  volley  of  shots  rang  out  on  the  still  air; 
five  passed  through  Maximilian's  body.  The  Emperor 
and  the  Empire  were  dead ! 


CHAPTER  XX 
l^TA.Z— THE  DESPOT 

The  mountain  state  of  Oaxaca,  ancient  dwelling 
place  of  the  race  which  built  the  superb  tombs  of  Mitla, 
has  produced  two  strong  men  of  modern  times:  Benito 
Juarez,  the  great  Liberal  President,  and  Porfirio  Diaz, 
often  called  the  Maker  of  modern  Mexico. 

When,  in  a  whirlwind  of  conspiracies  and  revolu- 
tions, Santa  Anna  reentered  Mexico  after  the  war  with 
the  United  States  and  was  made  Supreme  Dictator,  he 
decided  to  have  a  farcical  sort  of  election,  all  the  polls 
being  guarded  by  his  soldiers.  Porfirio  Diaz,  the  son 
of  a  Spanish  inn-keeper  and  half-breed  Mixtcc  woman, 
was  then  a  young  lawyer — he  had  studied  law  under 
Juarez — and  a  professor  in  the  Institute  of  Law  at 
Oaxaca.  He  was  a  thin,  erect  young  man,  with  some- 
thing of  a  military  bearing,  dark  hair  which  stood  up 
straight  from  his  well-shaped  forehead,  and  large,  dark 
eyes  of  a  peculiar  intensity  and  brilliance.  Though 
most  of  his  life  had  been  spent  in  hard  study,  he  had 
had  some  military  experience  of  the  "Boy  Scout"  or- 
der, when  he  and  other  juniors  had  organized  a  brigade 

280 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

to  protect  the  city  of  Oaxaca  during  the  war  with  the 
United  States. 

Santa  Anna's  voting  day  came.  There  were  shotted 
cannon  at  each  of  the  four  corners  of  Oaxaca' s  public 
square,  and  soldiers  with  set  bayonets  guarded  all  the 
streets.  The  professors  of  the  Institute  were  to  vote 
in  a  body.  Though  Liberals,  they  saw  the  necessity 
of  voting  for  the  Dictator — that  is,  all  but  one.  He 
refused,  says  James  Creelman,  Diaz'  biographer,  to  cast 
a  vote.     One  of  the  professors  asked  him  the  reason. 

"1^0  one  need  vote  unless  he  chooses,"  replied  young 
Diaz. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  professor  with  a  sneer.  "One 
does  not  vote  when  he  is  afraid." 

Diaz  instantly  seized  the  pen  and  wrote  down  his 
vote  for  General  Alvarez,  who  was  then  leading  the 
revolution  against  Santa  Anna  in  the  south.  The  next 
moment  he  had  disappeared.  He  knew  well  that  his 
life  was  in  danger,  and  before  the  police  could  catch 
him  he  had  escaped  through  the  city  gates,  in  company 
with  a  well-known  bandit,  and  was  in  hiding  in  the 
mountains. 

Before  a  year  had  passed  the  wheel  of  government 
had  turned  once  more,  the  Liberals  were  on  top  and 
Santa  Anna  ousted.  General  Alvarez  was  made  Presi- 
dent, Juarez  a  Cabinet  Minister,  and  young  Diaz  was 
sub-prefect,  or  mayor,  of  Tztlan,  a  mountain  district. 

The  Indians  of  Iztlan  were  thought  to  be  very  cow- 
281 


MEXICO 

ardly.  Diaz  got  a  number  of  them  together,  stood  them 
in  a  line,  then  threw  off  his  jacket  and  went  through  a 
series  of  setting-up  exercises  which  showed  his  power- 
ful muscles.  He  told  the  Indians  that  he  had  once  been 
a  thin,  weak  boy  with  a  fiat  chest,  but  that  he  had  de- 
veloped himself  by  these  exercises  and  that  they  could 
do  the  same.  The  Indians  consented  to  be  drilled, 
first  in  the  athletic  exercises,  then  in  military  methods, 
and  before  long  formed  a  fine  body  of  soldiers.  They 
were  to  fight  for  Diaz  in  many  battles. 

Throughout  the  War  of  the  Reform,  Porfirio 
Diaz,  as  has  already  been  seen,  was  an  active  fighter 
on  the  Liberal  side.  For  two  years,  in  spite  of  an 
unhealed  wound  in  his  side  received  in  his  first  battle, 
he  harassed  the  Conservatives  in  the  mountain  regions 
of  Oaxaca.  "N^o  Indian  of  the  surrounding  jungles 
was  more  swift  of  movement  or  keen  of  eye.  He  could 
walk  or  run  or  crawl  or  climb  with  the  most  desper- 
ate of  the  forest-bred.  He  could  trail  an  enemy  with- 
out sleep  or  food.  He  seemed  to  see  in  the  dark.  His 
Indian  soldiers  followed  him  into  the  most  dangerous 
situations  without  question,  for  their  broad-shouldered, 
restless,  tireless  leader  seemed  to  have  'second  sight' 
and  a  charmed  life."  ^ 

When  the  Liberals  contested  Maximilian's  empire, 
one  of  the  youngest  but  most  brilliant  generals  in  the 
fighting  against  the  French  was  Porfirio  Diaz.     In  the 

*  Creelman. 

282 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

battle  of  the  fifth  of  May  at  Piiebla,  in  which  the 
French  were  beaten,  he  was  in  command  of  a  part  of 
the  front  and  pursued  the  enemy  for  a  long  distance. 
When  the  French  attacked  Puebla  again  a  year  later, 
Diaz  commanded  a  brigade  of  the  defense  with  great 
bravery  and  skill.  But  the  city  had  to  surrender,  and 
Diaz  and  the  other  officers  were  taken  prisoner.  The 
next  day  they  were  to  be  sent  to  Vera  Cruz  on  their 
way  to  French  fortresses.  That  very  night  Diaz, 
wrapping  himself  in  his  serape,  managed  to  escape  un- 
der the  nose  of  the  officer  of  the  guard  and  made  his 
way  on  foot  to  the  City  of  Mexico. 

When  Juarez  had  to  abandon  the  capital  and  re- 
treat before  the  victorious  French,  Diaz  received  com- 
mand of  the  main  body  of  the  Mexican  army.  He 
skillfully  retreated  with  it  to  Oaxaca,  through  a  vast 
territory  already  entered  by  the  enemy's  forces.  He 
held  out  there  a  long  time,  but  at  last  General  Bazaine 
with  more  than  ten  thousand  picked  men  marched 
against  him  in  person,  and  Diaz,  after  a  month  and  a 
half's  siege  with  only  twenty-eight  hundred  men,  was 
forced  to  surrender. 

He  was  taken  back  to  Puebla  as  a  prisoner,  closely 
guarded,  and  shut  up  in  the  strong  convent  of  Santa 
Catarina.  Every  night  here  for  five  months  he  worked 
at  boring  a  hole  in  the  solid  cement  floor  under  his  bed, 
through  which  he  hoped  to  reach  the  street.  Before 
he  had  finished  his  labor  he  was  moved  to  another  con- 

283 


MEXICO 

vent.  Instead  of  being  discouraged  he  began  all  over 
again  bis  plans  for  escape.  He  managed  to  communi- 
cate with  friends  outside  who  stood  ready  to  receive 
him.  On  the  night  of  the  twentieth  of  September, 
1865,  he  managed  to  escape  over  the  roofs  and  by  means 
of  ropes  to  the  street,  and  gained  the  house  of  friends, 
who  furnished  him  with  horses,  a  servant,  and  guide. 
Soon  the  daring  adventurer  was  racing  towards  the 
mountains  of  Oaxaca,  where  his  devoted  mountaineers 
quickly  gathered  around  his  standard. 

The  day  of  the  French  in  Mexico  was  drawing  to  a 
close.  Diaz  came  thundering  up  from  the  south  while 
Juarez  was  returning  towards  his  rightful  capital  and 
Maximilian  was  making  his  last  stand  at  Queretaro. 
And  soon  the  dashing  young  general  with  his  devoted 
troops  was  once  more  in  front  of  Puebla,  from  which 
he  had  fled  by  night  a  year  and  a  half  before.  Four 
years  ago  the  French  troops  had  been  unable  to  take 
this  strongly  protected  city  until  the  garrison  had  been 
starved  into  surrender.  Diaz  began  the  attack  from 
fourteen  different  points  at  once  and  in  a  few  hours 
entered  the  city  in  triumph. 

Within  twenty-four  hours  after  this  victory,  he  met 
Marquez  on  the  road  from  Mexico  and  defeated  him 
and  his  army.  Marquez  fled  back  to  Mexico.  Diaz 
with  his  army  moved  up  towards  the  city,  and  began 
a  siege.  At  the  end  of  seventy  days,  IMexico  capitu- 
lated.    It  is  said  that  the  first  act  of  the  victorious 

284 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

general  was  to  order  all  the  army  bakers  to  stay  up 
all  night  baking  bread  for  the  starving  garrison  and 
population. 

Soon  after  this,  Juarez  was  re-elected  President  and    -4— 
Diaz  returned  to  Oaxaca.     He  had  won  great  fame     >     ^ 
and  his  honor  was  as  bright  as  his  sword. 

With  the  Liberals  triumphant  and  the  honest  Little  ^ 
Indian  once  more  President,  it  seemed  as  if  Mexico 
might  have  been  happy;  but  such  was  not  the  case. 
Murmurs  were  heard  against  Juarez.  These  came  es- 
pecially from  the  Liberals  who  had  served  in  the  army 
and  had  been  dismissed,  too  hastily,  they  thought,  at 
the  end  of  the  war.  One  of  the  most  prominent  and  I 
discontented  ex-army  officers  was  Porfirio  Diaz. 

When  Juarez  came  up  for  re-election  in  1871,  he 
found  opponents  of  his  own  party  arrayed  against  him : 
Lerdo  de  Tejada,  his  former  minister;  Porfirio  Diaz, 
his  former  pupil,  supporter  and  friend. 

Juarez  won  the  election.  At  once  there  were  armed 
uprisings  all  over  the  country.  Diaz  issued  the  "Plan 
of  La  ]S[oria"  denouncing  the  government.     Fighting 

went  on  for  about  a  year,  and  then  one  morning  in  July,        ] 

1872,  solemnly  tolled  be'lls  in  Mexico  City  proclaimed 
to  the  people  that  their  President  had  died  suddenly 
during  the  night  from  heart  failure. 

Though  Juarez  was  the  first  Mexican  President  to 
die  in  office,  he  had  given  his  life  to  his  people  more 
truly  than  most  of  the  sword-fiourishing,  so-called  patri- 

285 


MEXICO 

ots.  He  had  served  the  best  interests  of  his  country 
single-heartedly,  and  he  died  simple,  honest,  and  poor, 
as  he  had  lived.  In  him  the  Indians  lost  one  of  the 
best  friends  they  ever  had. 

Lerdo  de  Tejado,  who  was  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  succeeded  legally  to  the  Presidency,  and  Diaz 
retired  and  made  a  pretense  of  farming.  But  plots 
were  seething  in  his  ambitious  brain,  and  one  day  he 
disappeared.  Soon  after,  General  Hernandez,  one  of 
his  friends,  announced  a  new  "plan."  Diaz  reappeared 
in  the  north  as  if  by  magic.  He  had  been  organizing 
a  revolution  in  Texas.  From  Sonora  to  Yucatan  the 
"Porfiristas"  sprang  to  arms.  But  luck  was  against 
Diaz  this  time.  The  government  troops  were  strong, 
and  the  revolutionists  met  with  little  success.  Their 
leader  fled  from  the  country. 

The  mail  steamer.  City  of  Havana,  sailing  from  New 
York  not  long  after,  had  among  its  passengers  a  quiet, 
inoffensive  man  registered  as  a  Cuban  physician  re- 
turning to  Havana.  He  wore  smoked  glasses,  and,  as 
some  of  the  passengers  observed,  a  wig.  Aside  from 
these  peculiarities,  he  attracted  little  attention  till  the 
steamer  touched  at  Tampico,  where  a  number  of  Mex- 
ican officers  and  soldiers  boarded  her.  One  of  the  of- 
ficers stared  rudely  at  the  Cuban  physician,  and  called 
the  others'  attention  to  him.  The  physician  looked  an- 
noyed, and  slipped  away. 

Later  in  the  afternoon,  just  as  it  was  growing  dusk, 
286 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

while  the  City  of  Havana  was  still  anchored  four  miles 
outside  Tampico,  there  was  heard  a  splash  and  a  cry 
of  "Man  overboard!"  The  ship's  crew  lowered  a  boat 
at  once,  taking  in  it  some  of  the  Mexican  officers,  who 
seemed  desirous  to  help  in  the  rescue. 

The  man  in  the  water  did  not  wish  to  be  rescued. 
The  waning  light  showed  him  swimming  madly  for 
shore.  As  the  boat  drew  near  he  turned  and  circled 
and  finally  dived  as  if  to  elude  them.  But  the  pur- 
suit kept  up,  and  at  last  the  Swimmer  was  dragged, 
half-drowned,  into  the  boat.  His  wig  was  off,  his 
glasses  were  gone,  and  the  straight,  bristling  hair,  the 
dark,  brilliant  eyes  and  strong  features  of  Porfirio 
Diaz  were  plainly  recognizable. 

He  was  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  the  government 
officers  and  troops.  They  could  do  nothing  to  him  on 
board  the  American  vessel,  but  as  soon  as  they  reached 
Vera  Cruz  a  firing  squad  and  a  stone  wall  were  wait- 
ing. 

Diaz  was  taken  back  to  the  ship,  and  closely  watched. 
But  through  the  help  of  the  American  purser,  who 
threw  a  life-preserver  overboard  to  distract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Mexicans,  who  thought  it  was  Diaz  over- 
board again,  he  managed  to  give  them  the  slip  and  hide 
in  a  small  clothes-press  in  the  purser's  room.  The  Mex- 
icans searched  the  ship,  and  not  finding  him,  concluded 
he  was  again  risking  death  from  sharks  and  drowning. 
Much  disgusted,  they  gathered  in  the  purser's  room 

287 


MEXICO 

to  divert  their  minds  over  a  game  of  cards.  They  were 
so  close  to  Diaz  that  he  feared  they  would  hear  his 
breathing.  He  was  not  discovered,  however,  and 
stayed  in  this  uncomfortable  retreat  for  three  days, 
fed  by  the  purser.  When  the  ship  reached  Vera  Cruz 
he  was  helped  to  escape  by  some  of  the  sailors,  who 
rowed  him  to  a  spot  on  the  shore  where  a  man  was 
waiting  with  horses.  Diaz  leaped  into  the  saddle  and 
made  straight  for  Oaxaca.  Richmond  was  in  the  field 
again ! 

From  that  time  on  the  revolution  oi  Diaz  was  plain 
sailing.  Lerdo,  the  President,  was  obliged  to  flee  a 
few  days  before  the  legal  expiration  of  his  term,  and 
Porfirio  Diaz  entered  the  capital  in  triumph  on  No- 
vember 23,  1876.  He  was  welcomed  enthusiastically, 
being  popular  with  the  army  and  a  great  part  of  the 
people.  In  the  new  election,  with  his  soldiers  guard- 
ing all  the  polls,  he  received,  strange  to  say,  the  ma- 
jority of  votes!  And  so,  in  typical  Mexican  fashion, 
Porfirio  Diaz  became  the  legal  ruler  of  the  country. 

Whatever  we  may  think  of  the  way  in  which  Diaz 
gained  the  Presidential  chair,  we  must  acknowledge 
that  he  made  a  strong  ruler.  The  main  features  of 
his  policy  were  these:  to  put  down  disorder  and  clear 
the  way  for  a  peaceful  development  of  Mexico  and  its 
resources;  and  to  induce  foreign  capital  and  foreign 
enterprise  to  help  open  up  the  country.  He  carried 
out  both  these  aims  to  the  last  letter. 

288 


jjIAZ — xHE  DESPOT 

When  Diaz  was  first  made  President,  the  country 
was  swarming  with  brigands,  many  of  them  soldiers 
and  officers  of  the  disbanded  Liberal  army.  Whole 
villages  were  seized  by  the  bandits  and  loans  forced 
from  them.  The  stage  coach  running  between  the  cap- 
ital and  Puebla  was  sometimes  robbed  four  times  on  a 
single  journey,  the  passengers  being  stripped  even  of 
the  clothes  they  wore.  (Some  taking  this  trip  thought- 
fully provided  themselves  with  newspapers  in  case  of 
such  emergency!)  During  the  Empire,  Marshal  Ba- 
zaine,  in  command  of  the  City  of  Mexico,  once  ordered 
a  number  of  Zouaves  to  dress  in  women's  gowns  with 
wide  hoop  skirts  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  times, 
and  take  seats  inside  the  stage.  The  gay  coach-load 
had  not  traveled  four  blocks  from  the  center  of  the 
city  when  it  was  attacked  by  robbers.  A  fusillade 
poured  out  of  its  windows  by  the  supposed  ladies  gave 
the  robbers  the  shock  of  their  lives! 

Diaz  realized  that  many  of  the  bandits  had  taken  to 
this  life  because  they  had  no  way  of  earning  an  honest 
living.  Accordingly,  he  offered  them  positions  in  his 
newly  organized  body  of  rurales,  or  national  mounted 
police.  In  picturesque  uniform  of  tight-fitting  gray 
cloth,  with  flaming  red  neckties  and  wide  sombreros, 
armed  to  the  teeth  and  mounted  on  splendid  horses,  the 
ex-bandits  patrolled  all  the  roads.  Woe  to  the  unre- 
formed  comrade  plying  his  trade  who  crossed  their 
path!     The  wisdom  of  setting  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief 

289 


MEXICO 

was  never  proved  more  thoroughly  than  by  Porfirio 
Diaz.  In  a  short  time  brigandage  entirely  disappeared, 
and  travelers  could  go  all  over  Mexico  with  safety. 

Every  now  and  then  rebellions  cropped  up,  but  they 
were  promptly  nipped  in  the  bud.  Diaz  was  a  mili- 
tary man  above  all  things.  The  army  adored  him  (he 
paid  their  salaries  promptly) ;  the  rural  police  were  at 
his  service ;  thus  he  had  a  better  control  of  the  country 
than  previous  rulers.  He  had  been  Eirst  in  War — 
he  desired  to  remain  First  in  Peace — and  if  he  was 
not  First  in  the  Hearts  of  his  countrymen,  there  were 
very  few  who  dared  admit  it.  The  practice  of  stand- 
ing dissatisfied  persons  up  against  a  wall  and  shoot- 
ing them  at  sunrise,  and  the  other  one  of  drafting  them 
into  the  army  to  serve  in  some  unhealthful  locality,  had 
much  to  do  with  keeping  the  country  quiet. 

At  the  end  of  his  first  term  in  1880,  Diaz  stepped 
aside  in  favor  of  his  friend,  General  Manual  Gonzalez. 
He  had  to  do  this  because  he  had  put  himself  on  rec- 
ord as  favoring  a  ^'one-term"  Presidency.  This  was 
his  excuse  for  opposing  Juarez.  When  Gonzalez'  four 
years  were  up,  however,  Diaz  was  elected  President 
again  and  remained  in  the  ofiico  without  a  break  till 
the  year  1910.  This  is  the  longest  term  of  office  held 
by  any  President  in  the  world.  How  he  accomplished 
it  will  be  seen  later. 

Diaz  governed  well  in  a  financial  way.  When  he 
succeeded  Gonzalez  the  finances  of  Mexico  were  at  the 

290 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

lowest  ebb.  The  country  had  no  credit  at  home  or 
abroad.  Diaz,  with  the  help  of  his  able  Minister  of 
Finance,  Limantour,  managed  so  that  debts  were  paid 
as  they  became  due  and  a  large  national  capital  ac- 
cumulated. This  was  partly  through  economy  in  the 
administration  of  the  government,  and  partly  through 
the  increased  revenues  due  to  the  growth  of  Mexican 
commerce  and  industries. 

When  Diaz  first  came  to  the  Presidency,  there  was 
but  one  short  railroad  in  the  country — the  one  which 
connected  Vera  Cruz  with  the  capital.  Before  he 
ended  there  were  more  than  ten  thousand  miles  of  rail- 
road. The  country  was  opened  up  from  ocean  to  ocean, 
and  from  the  United  States  to  Yucatan.  Most  of  these 
were  built  by  United  States  capital.  Trolley  lines  and 
electric  lights,  telephones  and  telegraphs,  improved 
street  cleaning  and  water  systems,  made  the  larger  Mex- 
ican cities  as  comfortable  to  live  in  as  American  ones, 
and  incidentally  made  money  for  the  foreigners  who 
installed  them.  The  pueblos  of  the  Indians,  however, 
remained  just  as  primitive  and  probably  more  unsani- 
tary than  in  Aztec  times. 

Great  engineering  works,  also  accomplished  by  for- 
eigners, improved  the  harbors  on  both  coasts.  Cotton 
mills,  tobacco  factories,  sugar  refineries,  sprang  up  as 
if  by  magic.  Before  Diaz,  mining  rights  in  Mexico 
had  been  difficult  for  foreig-ners  to  obtain.  He  made 
them  easy.     He  allowed  foreigners  to  acquire  control 

291 


MEXICO 

of  the  great  plantations  in  coffee,  rice,  sugar,  cocoa  and 
other  products,  which  were  worked  by  cheap  native  la- 
bor. When  lands  which  he  desired  to  sell  were  held 
in  small  lots  by  the  Indians,  having  been  passed  from 
father  to  son  ever  since  Aztec  times,  he  took  a  clever 
way  to  dispossess  them.  In  the  year  1894,  notices  were 
posted  requiring  landowners  to  appear  on  a  certain  day 
before  a  certain  official  and  swear  to  their  claims. 
Most  of  the  peons  could  neither  read  nor  write,  thanks 
to  the  priests  who  were  supposed  to  educate  them,  so 
of  course  they  paid  no  attention  to  the  notice.  Thereby 
they  lost  their  title  to  their  lands,  which  were  taken 
from  them,  and  sold  by  the  government.  The  peons 
were  forced  then  to  labor  on  the  plantations  or  in  the 
mines,  where  they  were  paid  such  small  wages  that 
they  at  once  fell  in  debt  with  no  hope  of  ever  getting 
free.  This  made  them  liable  to  arrest  if  they  tried  to 
leave  their  employers;  that  is,  reduced  them  to  com- 
plete slavery.  So  they  sunk  lower  and  lower.  All 
travelers  in  Mexico  during  Diaz'  time,  no  matter  how 
much  they  were  impressed  by  the  surface  prosperity 
of  the  country,  spoke  of  the  appalling  poverty  of  the 
lower  classes.  A  prosperity  which  is  founded  on  such 
poverty  must  not  and  cannot  endure. 

It  is  only  fair  to  Diaz  to  say  that  his  long  rule  has 
been  divided  by  the  historians  into  two  periods;  the 
first,  when  he  governed  without  help ;  the  second,  when, 
as  he  grew  older,  he  came  under  the  influence  of  a 

292 


B^  1 

*• 

"^^0^ 

. 

^           ^ 

r  .^J?!^^^*"'^^99 

■i^rf^^^                  -^^^B 

'  i  J  \  1 « t  ■ 

,;y""    .^^-^M^ 

V>>f^ *f^.                      ' 

Diaz. 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

group  of  advisers,  consisting  of  his  Cabinet  and  the  so- 
called  cientificos,  who  were  not  really  scientific  men,  as 
the  Spanish  term  implies,  but  merely  clever,  unscrupu- 
lous persons,  solely  on  the  outlook  for  their  own  in- 
terests. The  first  part  of  Diaz'  rule  was  much  better 
than  the  last.  At  the  first,  the  Indians  loved  him;  at 
the  last,  they  hated  him.  Under  the  influence  of  his 
advisers,  his  love  of  power  grew,  until  it  robbed  his 
administration  of  even  the  pretense  of  justice. 

For  instance,  at  the  beginning  of  Diaz'  power  the 
newspapers  were  in  the  habit  of  criticizing  the  gov- 
ernment freely.  One  day,  it  is  said,  Diaz  sent  his  po- 
lice to  arrest  some  of  the  most  outspoken  editors  and 
shut  them  up  in  a  prison  intended  only  for  the  worst 
criminals.  They  were  kept  for  a  week  on  a  diet  of 
bread  and  water.  Then  they  were  summoned  before 
the  President. 

"Wow,  gentlemen,"  he  asked,  "what  do  you  think  of 
my  government?" 

"Senor  President,"  they  replied,  "we  look  upon  it 
as  the  finest  government  on  earth." 

"Just  continue  to  think  so,  gentlemen,  and  we  shall 
get  along  splendidly." 

After  that  there  was  no  more  trouble  with  the  papers. 

The  Mexican  Congress  under  Diaz  resembled  a  school 
debating  society.  The  members  spent  their  time  lis- 
tening to  minutes  of  the  last  meeting,  and  holding  de- 
bates of  a  literary  character.     Occasionally  they  all 

293 


MEXICO 

stood  up  and  waved  their  hands  in  the  air,  which  was 
their  way  of  voting  approval  of  one  of  Diaz'  decrees. 

In  a  free  country  like  the  United  States  the  elec- 
tions are  always  hotly  contested.  Does  it  not  seem 
strange  that  in  Mexico,  with  many  millions  of  inhabi- 
tants, not  one  vote  should  be  cast  for  any  one  but  the 
President  for  eight  successive  elections?  It  is  more 
than  strange — it  is  incredible — unless  the  Presidential 
forces  were  in  complete  control  of  the  voting  booths. 
And  such  was  the  case.  Not  one  real  election  was 
held  during  all  the  Diaz  regime. 

So  it  came  about  that  in  spite  of  the  wealth  and  ap- 
parent prosperity  and  order  which  came  to  Mexico  un- 
der the  rule  of  Porfirio  Diaz,  there  was  discontent  all 
over  the  land.  There  was  discontent  among  the  peons, 
toiling  until  they  dropped  in  mines  and  plantations; 
there  was  discontent  in  the  army,  which  held  so  many 
men  drafted  unwillingly  on  account  of  being  obnoxious 
to  the  Government  that  it  was  called  the  "National 
Chain-gang" ;  and  there  was  discontent  among  the  edu- 
cated people  of  democratic  ideas,  who  saw  that  Por- 
firio Diaz,  once  a  leading  Liberal,  had  become  a  worse 
despot  than  the  Czar  of  Russia.  Such  discontent  is 
never  repressed  for  long.  Suddenly,  towards  the  close 
of  the  last  century,  Liberal  clubs  began  to  organize. 
At  first  there  was  nothing  political  in  their  nature. 
No,  indeed!  They  had  merely  organized  for  purposes 
of  peaceful  reform.     But  by  and  by,  towards  the  be- 

294 


DIAZ— THE  DESPOT 

ginning  of  the  twentieth  century,  it  was  rumored  that 
the  Liberals  planned  to  nominate  a  candidate  of  their 
own  at  the  next  Presidential  election.  This  was  going 
too  far !  Their  meetings,  no  matter  how  peaceful,  were 
broken  up  by  the  police,  their  members  imprisoned  or 
drafted  into  the  army.  As  a  consequence  the  Liberal 
party  disappeared ;  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  Demo- 
cratic party  took  its  place. 

This  party,  organized  in  1909,  adopted  a  program 
of  reform,  but  at  the  same  time  nominated  Diaz  for 
President  in  the  coming  election.  However,  they 
named  for  Vice-President  a  different  man  from  the 
Government  candidate.  The  Government  objected 
strongly  and  began  oppressing  the  Democrats  as  it  had 
the  Liberals.  But  the  feeling  of  the  opposition  had 
grown  so  deep  that  persecution  only  aroused,  instead 
of  suppressing  it.  Steadily  the  Democratic  movement 
grew.  Finally  the  members  had  the  audacity  to  nomi- 
nate their  own  candidate,  Francisco  I.  Madero,  for 
President  against  Diaz. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
THE  FALL  OF  DIAZ 

In  September,  1910,  the  City  of  Mexico  was  the 
scene  of  a  celebration  that  will  long  be  remembered. 
All  the  world  was  invited  to  come  and  see  for  itself  the 
splendid  condition  and  achievements  of  the  country  un- 
der Diaz.  Trains  to  the  capital  were  loaded  with  vis- 
itors from  far  and  near.  They  found  the  beautiful 
city  in  its  gayest  dress,  decked  with  flags,  by  night 
flaming  with  electric  lights  in  red,  white  and  green, 
the  national  colors.  Every  day  of  the  month  had  its 
special  events:  brilliant  receptions  given  to  foreign  del- 
egates, historical  pageants,  military  parades,  band  con- 
certs in  the  plazas,  foundings  of  public  buildings,  ex- 
positions, presentations  of  gifts  from  other  nations. 

In  the  center  of  everything  was  the  tireless  Presi- 
dent, Porfirio  Diaz,  incredibly  young  for  his  eighty 
or  more  years,  his  dark  eyes  as  piercing  as  ever,  his 
bearing  as  erect,  his  manner  as  full  of  dignity.  When 
he  made  a  procession  through  the  streets  of  the  capital 
on  the  sixteenth  of  September  in  honor  of  the  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  Grito  de  Dolores,  he  was 

296 


THE  FALL  OF  DIAZ 

greeted  with  loud  applause.  Roses  were  showered 
into  his  carriage,  and  shouts  of  ''Viva  la  Bepublica 
Mexicana!     Viva  Don  Porfirio  Diaz!"  rent  the  air. 

Two  months  later  Madero's  revolution  against  Diaz 
was  in  full  swing!  Eight  months  later  it  had  swept 
the  country  and  forced  Diaz  from  the  Presidency ! 

Who  was  this  Francisco  I.  Madero  who  could  ac- 
complish such  remarkable  things  ?  He  was  a  small, 
nervous  man  (afflicted,  it  is  said,  with  epilepsy),  hith- 
erto considered  the  unpractical,  dreamy  member  of  a 
very  rich  and  practical  family.  (As  a  proof  of  this 
practicality,  Madero's  father  had  left  an  estate  valued 
at  $25,000,000  to  his  children.)  Madero's  only  claim 
to  attention,  within  a  few  months  of  the  Revolution, 
was  the  publication  of  a  book,  called  the  "Presidential 
Succession  of  1910,"  in  which  he  criticized  the  Presi- 
dent mildly,  and  urged  the  people  to  insist  on  their 
right  to  a  fair  ballot  and  a  candidate  of  their  own 
choice  at  the  next  election.  This  book,  although  soon 
suppressed,  had  much  to  do  with  forming  the  new 
Democratic  party,  who  dared  to  nominate  Francisco  I. 
Madero,  the  author,  for  President,  and  Vasquez  Gomez 
for  Vice-President. 

Government  opposed  this  movement  in  the  usual 
strong-handed  way.  The  Democrats  were  thrown  into 
prison.  A  little  while  before  the  election  Madero  was 
arrested  on  the  charge,  evidently  invented  for  the  occa- 
sion, of  "insulting  the  nation,"  and  held  in  the  peniten- 

297 


MEXICO 

tiary  at   San  Luis  Potosi.     Another  chief  Democrat 
was  similarly  treated. 

Election  day  thus  came  with  the  Democratic  leaders 
out  of  the  way  and  the  members  cowed  and  dispersed. 
Federal  soldiers  guarded  all  the  polls.  The  govern- 
nient  enjoyed  another  ''triumph."  Diaz  and  his  chosen 
Vice-President,  Corral,  were  elected  "'practically  unan- 
imously." 

The  celebration  at  the  City  of  Mexico  just  described 
took  place  a  few  months  after  these  events,  jit  was  a 
brilliant  occasion;  but  the  brilliancy  was  only  a  thin 
veneer  over  a  very  solid  discontent. 

Frederick  Starr,  of  the  University  of  Chicago,  who 
has  spent  years  in  Mexico  studying  the  native  races, 
has  given  us  his  impressions  of  how  the  people  really 
felt  about  this  fete,  which  cost  fifteen  or  sixteen  mil- 
lion ]\Iexican  dollars,  that  is,  one  dollar  for  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  Republic. 

The  temper  of  the  common  people  had  entirely 
changed  during  his  memory.  There  was  a  time,  not  so 
long  before,  when  any  procession  would  throw  them  into 
fits  of  joy.  But  in  1010,  the  gayest  public  events  left 
them  listless  and  unmoved. 

"What  a  splendid  procession!"  he  would  exclaim,  to 
a  peon  on  the  street. 

*'Yes,  sir,  but  what  result  has  it?" 

"What  a  beautiful  illumination!" 

"Who  pays  for  it,  sir  ?" 

208 


THE  FALL  OF  DIAZ 

"Hurrah !  here  comes  Don  Porfirio !" 

"He  surrounds  himself  with  bad  ministers!" 

"What  a  magnificent  building!" 

"Who  has  grown  rich  out  of  it,  sir,  while  the  people 
starve  ?" 

"What  a  glorious  celebration  of  your  independence!" 

"Our  independence  is  dead,  sir  1" 

Conversations  like  these  showed  which  way  the  wind 
blew  better  than  made-to-order  flag  wavings  and  dem- 
onstrations. 

Madero  had  been  released  from  the  penitentiary  at 
San  Luis  Potosi  shortly  after  the  election.  The  gov- 
ernment thought  that  his  claws  were  cut  and  he  could 
do  no  more  harm.  It  was  mistaken.  Madero  con- 
sidered that  he  had  been  cheated  out  of  his  legal  elec- 
tion and  that  he  was  justified  in  appealing  to  arms. 
Five  days  after  he  came  out  of  prison,  he  issued  a 
pamphlet  entitled  "The  Call  to  Arms,"  which  con- 
tained the  "Plan  of  San  Luis  Potosi." 

In  this  Plan  he  promised  free  suffrage,  no  re-election, 
the  restoration  of  the  laud  which  had  been  taken  from 
the  Indians,  the  freeing  of  political  prisoners,  and  other 
much  needed  reforms.  Soon  after,  he  made  his  way 
in  disguise  to  the  United  States,  where  he  purchased 
large  quantities  of  arms  and  ammunition,  and  organ- 
ized the  rebellion  from  San  Antonio,  Texas. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  November,  a  mass  meeting  which 
was  held  at  Puebla  to  protest  against  the  fraudulent  re- 

299 


MEXICO 

election  of  Diaz  was  broken  up  by  the  police,  and  in  the 
fight  whicli  followed  twenty-five  people  were  killed. 
This  was  the  first  encounter  of  the  Kevolution  of  1910- 
14.  Shortly  after,  the  revolution  broke  out  in  the 
north,,  the  provinces  of  Chihuahua  and  Coahuila  rising 
in  revolt.  As  Madera  was  not  by  nature  or  training  a 
military  leader,  General  Orozco  took  charge  of  military 
operations  in  the  north. 

Diaz  at  first  pretended  to  take  the  Revolution  very 
lightly.  Government  troops  were  hastened  to  the  spot 
under  General  ISTavarro.  It  was  thought  that  the 
trouble  would  soon  blow  over.  But  somehow  or  other 
the  Revolution  refused  to  be  suppressed.  It  was  not 
a  local  outbreak.  The  population  of  the  two  northern 
provinces  was  behind  the  Revolutionists  almost  to  a 
man.  Many  soldiers  sent  against  them  deserted  to 
their  side,  which  was  not  surprising,  considering  that 
so  many  Liberals-  had  been  drafted  unwillingly  into  the 
ITational  Army. 

By  February,  Madero  had  a  large  body  of  well- 
drilled,  well-armed  troops  in  the  field.  Moreover,  the 
Revolutionary  fever  had  spread  to  the  South,  uprisings 
having  taken  place  at  Vera  Cruz  and  Orizaba.  Yuca- 
tan, Campcche  and  Guerrero  became  seats  of  rebellion, 
and  Zapata,  a  noted  brigand  of  atrocious  character,  was 
in  violent  eruption  in  the  south. 

In  April,  1010,  President  Diaz  saw  a  great  light. 
He  removed  the  most  hated  members  of  his  cabinet  and 

300 


THE  EALL  OF  DIAZ 

substituted  other  more  popular  ones.  He  appeared 
before  Congress  and  read  a  message  in  which  he  urged 
most  of  the  reforms  in  the  Madera  platform. 

These  measures  had  only  one  fault.  They  were  too 
late! 

Even  the  docile  Congress  showed  signs  of  becoming 
unruly.  Its  members  awoke  from  their  long  sleep. 
They  actually  began  to  debate  instead  of  simply  voting 
as  they  were  ordered.  It  was  such  a  strange  fnd  novel 
phenomenon  that  people  flocked  to  hear  them.  When 
anything  was  said  against  Diaz,  there  was  loud  ap- 
plause. 

At  this  point  President  Diaz  requested  an  armistice 
in  order  to  debate  terms  of  peace  with  the  Revolution- 
ists. Madero  said  that  peace  could  only  be  granted  on 
condition  that  Diaz  resigTied,  with  other  terms  that 
were  distasteful  to  the  government.  War  began  again, 
on  May  6,  1911. 

Four  days  afterward,  the  Revolutionists  captured  the 
city  of  Juarez,  which  contained  a  large  store  of  rifles, 
rapid  fire  guns  and  ammunition.  Madero  would  not 
have  the  prisoners  slaughtered  in  the  ordinary  Mexican 
way.     He  was  opposed  to  such  cruelty. 

This  capture  of  the  city  of  Juarez  proved  the  decisive 
event  of  the  Revolution.  The  Insurgents  were  now 
victorious  everywhere  in  the  north  and  south.  The 
nation  was  apparently  almost  united  in  their  favor. 

The  stubborn  old  man  in  the  capital  at  last  had  to 
301 


MEXICO 

bow  to  the  will  of  the  people.  Jt  was  agi-eed  that  he 
should  resign,  and  that  Foreign  Secretary  de  la  Barra 
should  be  made  Provisional  President  until  the  next 
election  six  months  hence.  A  few  weeks  later  Diaz 
appeared  to  be  still  hesitating.  On  May  24,  the  date 
on  which  his  resignation  was  due  in  Congress,  a  hand- 
bill was  passed  about  saying  that  he  did  not  intend  to 
resign.  Indignant  crowds  swarmed  into  Congress, 
shouting,  ''Viva  Madero!"  (Long  live  Madero!) 
"Muera  Diaz!"  (Down  with  Diaz  !)  "The  resignation ! 
The  resignation!" 

"It  will  come  to-morrow,"  shouted  a  member  of 
Congi-ess. 

"No !  No !  To-day !  Now !  We  demand  the  res- 
ignation !" 

They  rioted  in  the  streets,  throwing  stones  at  the 
windows  of  El  Imparcial,  the  government  newspaper. 

In  a  strongly  guarded  house,  an  old  man  sick  with  an 
ulcerated  tooth  hoard  the  shouts  of  "Viva  Madero! 
Muera  Diaz!"  and  winced.  It  was  Porfirio  Diaz. 
The  next  day  he  resigned. 

Before  dawn  he  stole  secretly  out  of  his  house  and 
out  of  the  city.  Guarded  by  General  Huerta,  he 
reached  Vera  Cruz  in  safety,  though  his  train  was  fired 
upon  and  several  soldiers  of  his  escort  killed.  In  Vera 
Cruz  he  became  the  guest  of  the  Pearson  family,  rich 
coal-oil  magnates  who  had  made  tremendous  sums  in 

302 


THE  FALL  OF  DIAZ 

Mexico  under  his  regime.     A  few  days  later  he  sailed 
away  from  Mexico  forever. 

He  had  been  a  great  and  powerful  ruler — but  he  had 
forgotten  the  people,  from  whom  his  power  sprang — 
and  now  it  was  the  peo}>le  v/h-.  exiled  him.  The 
strength  of  his  "iron  hand"  was  broken. 


CHAPTER  XXII 
MADEEO  AXD  HUEETA 

On  the  seventh  of  June,  1911,  Madero  entered  the 
City  of  Mexico  in  triumph.  Everywhere  he  spoke  to 
enthusiastic  crowds  of  peons,  who  hailed  him  as  their 
liberator.  But  early  on  that  same  morning  the  capital 
had  been  shaken  by  a  severe  earthquake,  which  was 
taken  by  many  for  a  bad  omen ! 

Madero  was  not  yet  President.  Provisional  Presi- 
dent de  la  Barra,  formerly  Ambassador  to  Washington, 
governed  as  per  agreement  until  the  next  election, 
which  took  place  on  October  1,  1911.  At  this  election 
the  peons  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  country 
voted  freely.  The  result  was  that  ]\Iadero  was  elected 
President,  and  Jose  Pino  Suarez,  Vice-President. 

Madero's  ship  had  not  yet  come  into  port;  in  fact, 
it  was  onlv  starting  out  on  a  verv  rouch  vovage.  He 
was  an  idealist,  sincere  in  his  belief  that  the  people 
should  own  the  land,  but  visionary  and  impractical  in 
his  methods  of  carrying  it  out.  There  was  opposition 
to  him  in  all  quarters.  The  influential  people  who  had 
prospered  under  the  old  regime  thought  his  idealistic 

304 


MADEKO  AND  HUEKTA 

plans  for  bettering  the  condition  of  the  common  people 
all  nonsense;  the  common  people  were  disgusted  be- 
cause they  did  not  receive  free  lands  at  once,  as  they 
had  expected.  There  were  complaints  also  because 
Madero  put  his  own  friends  and  relatives  in  important 
posts.  For  instance,  his  brother  and  his  uncle  were 
in  the  Cabinet.  The  brigand  Zapata,  supposed  at  first 
to  be  fighting  to  help  the  Revolution,  kept  right  on  kill- 
ing, burning  and  plundering  in  the  South,  although  the 
Revolution  was  over.  Madero  did  not  show  great  firm- 
ness in  putting  him  down,  and  it  was  whispered  that 
he  had  some  secret  agreement  with  him. 

1^0  less  than  four  attempts  to  overthrow  the  Presi- 
dent occurred,  one  after  another,  within  a  short  time. 
Orozco,  the  same  chief  who  had  formerly  fought  for 
Madero,  now  headed  a  revolution  in  the  north  against 
him.     The  peons  knew  the  reason 

They  say  that  Pascual  Orozco  has  turned  his  coat 
Because  Don  Terrazzas  seduced  him; 
They  gave  him  many  millions  and  they  bought  him 
And  sent  him  to  overthrow  the  government. 

So  runs  a  verse  from  one  of  their  ballads  of  the  time. 
Terrazzas  is  the  head  of  one  of  the  great  mining  fam- 
ilies. The  American  mining  interests  of  that  region 
without  doubt  financed  the  revolution  against  Madero. 
They  wished  everything  to  go  on  as  it  had  under  Diaz, 
80  that  they  could  make  more  money.  Orozco  was 
finally  suppressed  by  General  Huerta  with  his  troops. 

305 


MEXICO 

Vasquez  Gomez,  the  defeated  candidate  for  Vice- 
President,  also  started  a  revolution,  but  was  soon  de- 
feated. The  other  attempts  were  made  by  Felix  Diaz, 
a  nephew  of  the  former  President,  and  General  Reyes, 
the  defeated  candidate  for  President.  They  were  sup- 
pressed, but  Madero  would  not  execute  Diaz  and  Reyes, 
according  to  the  Mexican  custom,  but  only  imprisoned 
them  in  the  City  of  Mexico. 

By  February,  1913,  ^ladero  had  put  dowm  four  re- 
bellions and  was  still  President.  He  was  confident  that 
he  could  finish  his  term.  But  his  hopes  had  a  rude 
shock. 

On  the  night  of  the  eighth  of  February,  Diaz  and 
Reyes,  whose  lives  Madero  had  spared,  and  who  had 
been  plotting  ever  since  in  their  prison,  were  set  free, 
evidently  through  agreement  with  the  jailors.  They 
put  themselves  at  the  head  of  troops  which  suddenly 
turned  the  capital  into  a  battlefield.  So  began  the  ter- 
rible period  fitly  called  "La  decena  trdgica"  ("The 
Tragic  Ten  Days)." 

A  force  of  men  under  General  Reyes  attacked  the 
l^ational  Palace,  the  home  of  the  President.  Madero, 
warned  a  short  time  before  of  what  was  afoot,  had  in- 
stantly made  preparations  for  defense.  He  himself 
took  command  of  the  troops  of  the  National  Palace  and 
a  murderous  fire  from  machine  guns  poured  upon  the 
insurrectionists.  General  Reyes  was  killed  and  his 
forces  repulsed.     But  the  fighting  went  on  under  other 

306 


MADEKO  AND  HUEKTA 

leaders.  Desperate  battles  took  place  in  the  main 
streets  of  the  crowded  city.  Shells  exploded,  bullets 
"whizzed  from  all  points  at  once.  The  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
building  was  seized  by  the  rebels,  who  directed  from 
it  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  National  Palace. 

The  many  foreign  residents  of  the  city  were  natu- 
rally much  alarmed.  Those  who.  could,  left  in  haste, 
but  others  felt  compelled  to  stay  and  look  after  their 
interests.  Great  anxiety  was  felt  in  the  United  States 
for  the  safety  of  the  many  Americans  in  the  capital, 
and  it  was  thought  that  we  might  have  to  intervene  to 
prevent  their  slaughter,  but  President  Taft  announced 
that  no  action  would  be  taken  unless  Americans  were 
especially  threatened. 

Madero  was  urged  to  resign.  He  replied  that  he 
would  die  before  he  would  give  up  the  office  to  which 
he  had  been  elected  by  the  free  votes  of  the  people.  He 
had  sent  for  General  Blanquet,  sixty  miles  out  of  the 
city,  to  come  to  his  aid  at  once  with  reinforcements. 
There  had  been  some  rumors  about  Blanquet's  loyalty, 
but  when  he  promptly  appeared  with  his  troops 
Madero' s  doubts  were  set  at  rest.  Also  there  was  Gen- 
eral Huerta,  whose  strong  right  arm  had  put  down  the 
rebellion  under  Orozco.  Surely  he  could  quell  this  one 
also.  Alas,  Madero  was  depending  upon  snakes  in  the 
grass! 

On  February  18,  General  Blanquet  and  General 
Huerta  with  their  troops  entered  the  National  Palace 

307 


f' 


MEXIC0 

whicli  they  were  supposed  to  defend,  and  arrested 
Madero.  In  all  probability  they  had  been  in  s}Tnpathy 
with  the  insurgents  from  the  first  and  had  only  been 
biding  their  time  to  declare  themselves  in  their  true 
colors. 

When  Madero  found  himself  surrounded  by  his  ene- 
mies, he  turned  to  Huerta  and  exclaimed, 

"Kill  me,  my  General!  I  will  die  President  of 
Mexico !" 

Huerta  refused.  He  arrested  him  and  the  Vice- 
President,  Suarez,  confining  them  in  the  Palace.  That 
same  afternoon  Gustave  Madero,  the  President's 
brother,  a  member  of  Madero's  Cabinet,  was  arrested, 
and  soon  shot.  Two  days  after,  the  parties  in  power, 
Diaz,  Blanquet  and  Huerta,  called  CongTCss  into  extra- 
ordinary session.  The  members,  knowing  what  was 
good  for  them,  made  Huerta  Provisional  President. 

All  these  things  could  be  accomplished  with  the  help 
of  the  Government  army,  because  it  was  accustomed  to 
obey  Huerta  under  the  Diaz  regime.  Indeed,  the  igno- 
rant soldiers  hardly  cared  which  party  was  in  power. 
A  story  is  told  of  some  soldiers  who  were  standing  out- 
side one  of  the  legations  during  the  Diaz-Madero  con- 
flict. 

"From  what  side  are  you  protecting  us  ?"  a  member 
of  the  legation  inquired.  "Are  you  for  Diaz  or 
Madero?" 

308 


MADERO  AND  HUERTA 

"Pues,  senor,"  thej  replied,  "our  officer  will  be  back 
soon,  and  then  we  shall  know." 

On  the  night  of  the  twenty-second  the  two  distin- 
guished prisoners  were  taken  from  the  National  Palace 
under  close  guard,  supposedly  to  be  transferred  to  the 
Penitentiary.  There  is  a  rumor  current  in  Mexico 
that  it  was  not  two  men,  but  their  dead  bodies,  which 
were  taken  from  the  Palace  that  night.  At  any  rate, 
Madero  and  Suarez  never  reached  the  Penitentiary 
alive.  On  the  way  there  some  confusion  arose  in  the 
street  and  shots  were  fired.  When  the  smoke  had 
cleared  away,  Madero  and  Suarez  were  dead. 

The  peons  of  the  Revolution  sing  a  ballad  around 
their  camp  fires  which  hints  at  an  even  darker  tragedy. 
As  quoted  by  the  traveler,  John  Reed,  it  runs  like  this: 

In  Nineteen  hundred  and  ten 
Madero  was  imprisoned 
In  the  National  Palace 
The  eighteenth  of  February. 

Four  daj^s  he  was  imprisoned 
In  the  Hall  of  the  Intendancy 
Because  he  did  not  wish 
To  renounce  the  Presidency. 

Then  Blanquet  and  Felix  Diaz 
Martyred  him  there. 
They  were  the  hangmen 
Feeding  on  his  hate. 

309 


MEXICO 

They  crushed 
Until  he  fainted, 
With  play  of  cruelty 
To  make  him  resign. 

Then  with  hat  irons 
They  burned  him  without  mercy. 
And  only  unconsciousness 
Calmed  the  awful  liames. 

But  it  was  all  in  vain, 
Because  his  mighty  courage 
Preferred  rather  to  die; 
His  was  a  great  heart! 

This  was  the  end  of  the  life 
Of  him  who  was  the  redeemer 
Of  the  Indian  Republic, 
And  of  all  the  poor. 

They  took  him  out  of  the  Palace, 
And  tell  us  he  was  killed  in  an  assault. 
What  a  cynicism! 
What  a  shameless  lie! 

0  Street  of  Lecumberri, 
Your  cheerfulness  has  ended  forever, 
For  throuiih  you  passed  Madero 
To  the  Penitentiary. 

That  twenty-second  of  February 

Will  always  be  remembered  in  the  Indian  Republic. 

God  has  pardoned  him, 

And  the  Virgin  of  Guadalupe. 

310 


MADEKO  AND  HUEKTA 

Good-by,  Beautiful  Mexico, 
Where  our  leader  died. 
Good-by  to  the  palace 
Whence  he  issued  a  living  corpse. 

Senores,  there  is  nothing  eternal, 
Nor  anything  sincere  in  life. 
See  what  happened 
To  Don  Francisco  1.  Madero! 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
CAKRANZA  AND  YILLA 

The  man  who  had  overthrown  Madero,  and  who  was 
considered  by  nearly  every  one  responsible  for  his  death, 
was  an  Indian  of  nearly  pure  Aztec  blood,  who  had 
received  an  education  at  Chapultepec,  the  Mexican 
"West  Point,  and  had  served  in  a  scientific  capacity  on 
the  General  Staff  of  the  army  under  Diaz.  He  had 
been  a  personal  friend  of  Diaz,  and  in  every  way  an 
upholder  of  the  old  order.  "An  able,  crafty,  half- 
educated  savage,  hiding  in  his  breast  the  fierce  hunger 
of  ambition,"  as  an  editor  of  Mexico  City  has  described 
him.  He  soon  secured  himself  the  office  of  Provisional 
President,  and  employed  all  the  sledge-hammer  methods 
characteristic  of  Diaz  to  increase  his  power.  Soon 
after  his  forced  election,  his  soldiers  drove  most  of  the 
members  of  Congress  from  their  hall  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet,  and  imprisoned  them  for  speaking  against 
the  administration. 

Huerta  needed  all  the  force  he  could  command,  for 
the  power  he  had  usurped  was  instantly  threatened  by 
a  new  party,  calling  themselves  the  Constitutionalists, 

312 


CAEEANZA  AND  VILLA 

as  opposed  to  the  Hiiertistas  or  Federals.  There  were 
several  chiefs  conspicuous  in  this  movement,  but  the 
■principal  one,  and  the  one  destined  to  endure,  was 
Venustiano  Carranza. 

When  Madero  was  making  his  triumphal  progress 
towards  the  City  of  jMexico  in  1910,  he  addressed  the 
people  from  the  balcony  of  the  Governor's  palace  in 
Chihuahua. 

"As  he  told  of  the  hardships  endured  and  the  sacri- 
fices made  by  the  little  band  of  men  who  had  over- 
thrown the  dictatorship  of  Diaz  forever,"  says  a  maga- 
zine correspondent,  "he  was  overcome  with  emotion. 
Beaching  inside  the  room,  he  pulled  out  a  tall,  bearded 
man  of  commanding  presence,  and,  throwing  his  arm 
about  his  shoulder,  he  said,  in  a  voice  choked  with  tears, 

"  ^This  is  a  good  man!  Love  and  honor  him 
always '  " 

This  man  was  Carranza.  He  was  a  rich  landowner, 
the  descendant  of  an  old  Spanish  family.  He  had  been 
a  senator  from  the  state  of  Coahuila  for  ten  or  fifteen 
years  under  Diaz;  during  that  time  he  was  a  digTiified 
cipher,  never  speaking  either  for  or  against  a  measure, 
hiding  his  disapproval  of  the  Diaz  regime  under  a  stolid 
manner.  Madero  had  made  him  Governor  of  Coahuila. 
When  he  heard  of  Madero's  downfall  and  death  he 
threw  aside  his  stolidity  and  hastened  to  raise  the  stand- 
ard of  revolt  in  the  north.  The  peons  flocked  around 
him,  influenced  partly  by  the  hereditary  respect  they 

313 


MEXICO 

felt  towards  him  as  a  great  haciendado,  and  partly  by 
their  own  desire  for  rebellion.  The  revolt  soon  spread 
to  Sonora,  Chihuahua,  Kueva  Leon  and  Tamaulipas. 

Carranza  is  a  tall,  clumsy,  silent  man,  a  mystery  to 
the  Mexicans  closest  to  him  as  well  as  to  foreigners. 
He  was  well  past  middle  age  when  he  began  his  revolu- 
tion, is  not  distinguished  in  a  military  way,  but  pos- 
sesses apparently  an  immense  amount  of  determination 
and  patience.  An  odd  feature  of  his  personality  is, 
that  despite  his  age  and  silent  disposition,  he  is  very 
fond  of  banquets  and  balls,  and  is  accused  of  spending 
too  much  of  his  time  in  junketing  about  the  country. 

One  of  Carranza's  chief  military  leaders  was  Obrer 
gon,  who  operated  in  the  Sonora  region;  the  other  was 
Villa,  who  brought  Chihuahua  under  control.  Fran- 
cisco, or  "Pancho,"  Villa  is  the  comic  character  of  the 
Revolution,  the  ''j oiliest  cutthroat  in  all  the  land," 
Hubert  Bancroft  calls  him.  He  was  for  a  while  the 
favorite  topic  with  the  American  ncwsjjapers,  who  never 
tired  of  publishing  his  exploits,  real  or  imaginary,  but 
now  he  is  nearly  forgotten,  the  hero  of  a  tale  that  is 
told.  However,  he  has  been  the  cause  of  distui'bance 
enough  to  be  entitled  to  his  page  in  history.  He  was 
a  bandit  while  Diaz  was  in  power — the  Mexican  Robin 
Hood,  who  rustled  cattle  from  the  great  Terrazzas  es- 
tates in  Chihuahua,  held  up  travelers,  and  then  often 
shared  his  spoils  with  the  poverty-stricken  peons.  The 
story  goes  that  he  was  driven  to  a  bandit  life  through 

314 


CAEKANZA  AND  VILLA 

having  been  outlawed  as  a  young  man  on  account  of 
shooting  a  man  who  had  injured  his  sister.  Whether 
or  not  this  was  true,  the  Robin  Hood  life  must  have 
suited  his  temperament  very  well.  Songs  which  the 
peons  sing  around  their  campfires  of  an  evening  cele- 
brate many  of  his  exploits.  Once,  they  say,  when  he 
was  an  outlaw  with  a  price  of  $10,000  on  his  head, 
he  sent  word  that  he  was  coming  into  Chihuahua  on  a 
certain  day  to  kill  a  follower  who  had  tried  to  betray 
him.  On  the  appointed  date,  he  rode  into  the  city  in 
broad  daylight,  ate  ice-cream  in  the  Plaza,  strolled 
leisurely  about  the  streets  until  he  met  the  man  he  was 
looking  for,  shot  him  dead,  and  escaped.  Such  stories 
make  one  wish  that  there  was  a  Bret  Harte  in  Mexico ! 
He  was  in  fact  a  clever  and  daring  rascal,  the  only  man 
in  Mexico  who  defied  Diaz'  rurales  for  many  years. 
He  fought  more  than  eighty  battles  with  them,  but 
always  escaped. 

At  the  beginning  of  Madero's  revolt.  Villa  found  an 
outlet  for  his  abundant  energies  in  joining  the  Revolu- 
tionists, and  quickly  developed  great  military  skill. 
When  Madero  became  President,  he  made  him  a  leader 
of  rurales,  and  set  him  to  catching  bandits.  While 
Huerta  was  acting  for  Madero  in  the  north  of  Mexico 
he  declared  Villa  guilty  of  insubordination  and  ordered 
him  to  be  shot.  Madero  heard  of  the  sentence  in  time 
to  save  Villa's  life.  Villa  naturally  thereafter  hated 
Huerta,  and  hastened  to  join  in  the  revolt  against  him. 

315 


MEXICO 

It  is  said  that  he  set  out  from  El  Paso  in  April,  1913, 
to  conquer  JMcxico,  with  four  companions,  three  led 
horses,  two  pounds  of  sugar  and  coffee,  and  a  pound  of 
salt !  In  a  month  he  had  raised  an  army  of  three  thou- 
sand men,  and  in  two  months  was  driving  out  the  Fed- 
eral garrisons  all  over  the  south  of  Chihuahua. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  1013,  the  Con- 
stitutionalists kept  the  Federals  on  the  run  in  northern 
Mexico  and  soon  had  control  of  all  that  part  of  the 
countrj.  Meanwhile  the  brigand  Zapata  still  continued 
to  ravage  the  south,  and  the  Indians  of  Puebla  and 
Vera  Cruz  rose  in  revolt. 

The  United  States  refused  from  the  iirst  to  recognize 
Huerta,  since  ho  was  plainly  a  usurper  who  had  over- 
thrown by  force  the  legal  government  of  the  country. 
President  Wilson  recalled  our  Ambassador,  Henry  Lane 
Wilson,  from  the  City  of  Mexico,  but  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1913,  sent  his  personal  representative,  ex-Gov- 
ernor Lind  of  Minnesota,  to  ask  Iluerta  to  resign  and 
not  come  up  for  re-election.  Huerta  obstinately  ro- 
fused.  It  was  evident,  however,  that  the  days  of  his 
power  were  numbered.  As  President  Wilson  pointed 
out,  in  his  First  Annual  Message  to  Congress,  December 
2,  1913: 

"Little  by  little  Huerta  has  been  completely  isolated. 
By  a  little  every  day  his  power  and  prestige  are  crum- 
bling, and  the  collapse  is  not  far  away.     We  shall  not, 

316 


CAERANZA  AND  VILLA 

I  believe,  be  obliged  to  alter  our  policy  of  watchful 
waiting." 

The  phrase  contained  in  the  last  two  words  instantly 
became  famous.  Those  who  had  interests  in  Mexico 
and  selfishly  wished  the  "strongest  man"  to  be  recog- 
nized at  once,  regardless  of  the  rights  of  the  case,  were 
irritated  by  it.  Criticism  and  ridicule  of  the  Presi- 
dent were  freely  expressed — all  to  no  effect.  Quietly, 
Wilson  steered  his  course  between  the  whirlpool  of  open 
war  on  the  one  hand  and  the  rock  of  recognition  of 
Huerta  on  the  other.  In  acknowledgment  of  the 
dangers  of  the  situation,  however,  he  urged  all  Ameri- 
cans in  Mexico  to  leave  the  country.  Many  did  so,  but 
others  who  had  made  it  their  home  for  years,  and  to 
whom  banishment  meant  beggary,  decided  to  stay. 
Huerta  is  credited,  at  least,  with  doing  everything  in 
his  power  to  protect  the  Americans  from  injury. 

Although  Huerta's  government  had  been  recognized 
by  England,  France  and  Germany,  the  foreign  finan- 
ciers would  not  lend  it  money  as  long  as  the  United 
States  refused  its  recogition.  Huerta  began  to  lack 
"the  sinews  of  war." 

Mexico  in  the  winter  of  1914,  says  Edward  I.  Bell, 
in  the  ''Political  Shame  of  Mexico,"  may  be  considered 
as  consisting  of  two  nations,  the  one  over  which  Huerta 
ruled,  and  the  one  in  which  Carranza  was  the  reigning 
prince  and  Pancho  Villa  the  military  genius.  Under 
ordinary  conditions,  Huerta's  part  was  much  richer  and 

317 


MEXICO 

more  powerful  than  tlio  ban-en  northern  country  of  the 
Revolutionists;  but  with  foreign  loans  cut  off,  the  finan- 
cial system  became  demoralized,  business  was  at  a 
standstill,  and  there  was  nothing  to  buy  arms  and  am- 
munition for  the  army. 

As  Huerta  still  did  not  resign,  in  February,  1914, 
President  Wilson  lifted  the  embargo  on  shipping  arms 
and  ammunition  to  Mexico  which  had  been  in  force  for 
nearly  two  years,  thus  enabling  the  Constitutionalists 
to  receive  all  they  wanted  from  our  side  of  the  border. 

Two  months  afterward  occurred  the  "insult  to  the 
flag"  at  Tampico,  which  showed  the  irritation  of  the 
Huerta  party  against  the  United  States,  though  Huerta 
himself  was  probably  not  responsible  for  it. 

On  April  9,  1914,  some  sailors  from  a  United  States 
gunboat,  flying  the  American  flag,  who  had  landed  at 
Tampico  for  gasoline,  were  arrested  by  a  Federal  gen- 
eral and  paraded  under  guard  through  the  streets  amid 
the  jeering  populace.  Admiral  Mayo  at  once  sent  a 
demand  to  General  Zarapoza,  in  conmaand  of  the  Mexi- 
can forces  at  Tampico,  for  ''formal  disavowal  and 
apology  for  the  act,"  also  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns 
to  the  United  States  flag,  within  twenty-four  hours. 

General  Zaragoza  released  the  men,  and  Huerta  sent 
an  apology  to  Nelson  O'Shaughnessy,  the  American 
Charge  d'Aftaires  in  the  capital.  But  he  refused  to 
order  the  salute. 

President  Wilson  and  the  Cabinet  at  Washington 
318 


CAEKANZA  AND  VILLA 

backed  up  Admiral  Mayo  in  his  demands.  All  the 
available  battleships  of  the  Atlantic  fleet  were  ordered 
to  Tampico.  The  time  limit  for  the  salute  was  ex- 
tended to  ten  days.  This  time  limit  passed,  without 
the  salute's  being  fired.  As  a  consequence,  on  the 
morning  of  April  21,  a  force  of  United  States  marines 
and  sailors,  under  command  of  Admiral  Fletcher,  took 
possession  of  the  Vera  Cruz  customs  house,  having  re- 
ceived orders  to  that  effect  from  Washington.  In  the 
action  four  Americans  were  killed  and  twenty  wounded, 
while  the  Mexicans  lost  over  one  hundred. 

On  the  same  day  our  forces,  amounting  to  5,250 
men,  took  possession  of  the  city,  which  was  shelled  by 
our  battleships.  Hostile  relations  went  on  for  three 
days.  The  Americans  lost  sixteen  killed  and  seventy 
wounded,  the  Mexicans  126  killed  and  321  wounded. 
At  the  end  of  that  time  the  Americans  were  in  com- 
plete control.  General  Funston's  brigade  from  Galves- 
ton soon  arrived,  the  command  on  land  was  transferred 
to  him,  and  a  fine  exhibition  of  order,  govermnent  and 
sanitary  efficiency  was  given  by  the  American  troops. 
The  municipal  government  of  the  city  was  reestab- 
lished, the  Vera  Cruz  people  soon  lost  their  fear  of  the 
invaders,  and  business  and  pleasure  went  on  almost  as 
usual.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Americans  was  to 
tackle  the  horrible  old  prison  of  San  Juan  de  Ulua  on 
the  Isle  de  Sacrificios,  and  release  the  political  prisoners 
who  were  rotting  there  in  the  dungeons  under  sea-level, 

319 


MEXICO 

many  of  whom  had  even  forgotten  their  own  names, 
while  the  world  had  long  since  forgotten  their  existence, 
much  less  their  crimes.  Indeed,  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  were  found  with  no  crime  whatever  charged 
against  them.      These  were  of  course  released. 

On  April  25,  came  an  offer  from  the  three  great 
South  American  powers,  Argentine,  Brazil  and  Chili,  to 
mediate  between  the  United  States  and  the  Huerta 
government.  This  offer,  w^hich  seemed  to  open  a  way 
out  of  the  deadlock,  was  accepted.  The  "A-B-C  Con- 
ference," as  it  was  called,  met  in  May  at  Niagara 
Falls,  and  consisted  of  two  men  chosen  hy  the  United 
States,  three  by  President  Huerta,  and  the  South 
American  diplomats.  Their  debates  had  no  practical 
result,  but  the  whole  situation  was  soon  cleared  by 
Huerta's  resignation.  Feeling  that  his  usurped  posi- 
tion had  become  absolutely  untenable,  the  crafty  Aztec 
general  quietly  left  the  capital  in  July,  1914. 

Some  time  later  he  took  up  his  residence  with  his 
family  on  Long  Island,  ISTew  York.  At  that  time  New 
York  was  full  of  exiled  Mexicans,  and  the  existence 
there  of  a  junta  which  was  planning  to  restore  Huerta 
was  practically  certain.  Huerta  was  closely  watched 
by  the  United  States  Secret  Service.  He  lived  on  Long 
Jsland  till  June  24,  1915,  when  he  left  for  the  purpose, 
he  declared,  of  visiting  his  daughter  in  Texas.  But 
the  authorities  did  not  trust  him  so  near  the  border, 
and  he  was  arrested  on  the  charge  of  organizing  a  mili- 

320 


js       111  'p 


Cathedral  of  AIexico, 
Mexico  City. 


CAERANZA  AND  VILLA 

tary  expedition  to  Mexico,  and  jailed  in  the  military 
prison  at  Fort  Bliss.  He  did  not  long  survive  this  final 
failure  of  his  schemes,  but  died  in  January,  1916. 

The  Constitutionalist  Revolution,  meanwhile,  made 
great  headway,  and  Carranza's  forces,  having  gained 
control  of  all  the  north,  entered  the  City  of  Mexico  in 
August,  1914,  seventeen  months  after  he  had  begun  his 
struggle.  This  marked  the  end  of  the  first  period  of 
the  Revolution ;  the  second,  when  the  various  Constitu- 
tionalist chiefs  struggled  for  supremacy  among  them- 
selves, was  to  last  some  years  longer.  Villa  quarreled 
with  Carranza  even  before  Huerta  left;  in  October, 
1914,  he  was  at  open  war,  being  jealous  because  in  that 
month  Carranza  was  formally  recognized  as  Provisional 
President  by  the  United  States  and  eight  of  the  Repub- 
lics of  South  and  Central  America. 

The  little  border  town  of  Columbus,  New  Mexico, 
one  dark  night  in  March,  1916,  was  aroused  from  its 
slumbers  by  a  sudden  uproar.  Villa's  bandits,  prob- 
ably led  by  Villa  himself,  were  shooting  up  the  town. 
During  the  raid  they  killed  17  Americans,  civilians  and 
soldiers.  So  did  the  relapsed  rebel  and  outlaw  pay  off 
his  spite  against  the  United  States  for  recognizing  his 
rival,  Carranza,  and  also  make  things  uncomfortable 
for  Carranza  by  giving  the  United  States  a  cause  for 
the  invasion  of  Mexico. 

President  Wilson  and  the  Cabinet  quickly  decided  to 
send  a  force  into  Mexico  to  punish  Villa.     The  expe- 

321 


MEXICO 

dition  entered  Mexico  on  March  19,  and  12,000  Ameri- 
can soldiers  under  General  Pershing  pursued  the  ban- 
dits for  six  weeks  through  the  barren  stretches  of  the 
north.  Carranza  was  supposed  to  consent  to  the  inva- 
sion, but  in  April,  a  month  after  the  Americans  had 
entered,  a  small  force  of  United  States  soldiers  was 
attacked  by  his  men.  This  led  to  the  dispatch  of  heavy 
reinforcements  to  General  Pershing  and  the  general 
contraction  of  the  American  lines.  The  pursuit  of 
Villa  was  virtually  abandoned,  but  our  troops  were  still 
kept  in  the  country.  On  May  31,  the  United  States 
government  received  a  note  from  Carranza  stating  that 
the  Pershing  expedition  had  gone  into  Mexico  without 
Carranza's  consent,  and  asking  for  the  immediate  with- 
drawal of  the  American  troops  in  Mexican  territory. 
On  June  16,  Carranza's  representative,  General 
Trevino,  informed  General  Pershing  that  if  the  Ameri- 
can troops  moved  in  any  direction  but  northward  it 
would  be  considered  a  hostile  act. 

President  Wilson  responded  by  calling  out  prac- 
tically the  entire  organized  militia  of  the  various  states ! 

Thus  took  place  the  exodus  of  148,000  stalwart  young 
Americans  from  the  office,  the  farm,  the  factory,  or  the 
pleasant  loafing  of  a  college  vacation,  to  the  hot,  sandy 
stretches  of  the  border. 

President  Wilson  informed  Carranza  that  he  refused 
to  withdraw  the  American  troops,  and  that  any  attempt 

322 


CAERAN^ZA  AND  VILLA 

to  expel  the  American  troops  by  force  would  be  followed 
by  ''the  gravest  consequences." 

Then  occurred  the  battle  at  Carrizal,  Chihuahua, 
where  Pershing's  soldiers  were  ambushed  by  Carran- 
zistas  and  a  score  of  them  killed.  The  responsibility 
for  this  affair  has  never  been  fully  fixed.  Secretary 
Lane  called  the  explanatory  statement  submitted  by  the 
Mexican  government  "a  formal  avowal  of  a  deliberately 
hostile  action." 

Soon  after,  President  Wilson  accepted  Carranza's 
offer  for  a  joint  commission  to  confer  regarding  the 
withdrawal  of  American  troops  and  the  origin  of  bandit 
raids.  This  commission  met  in  September  and  con- 
tinued in  session  till  November,  when  it  drew  up  a 
protocol.  Carranza  found  this  unsatisfactory  and  re- 
fused to  sign  it. 

The  Pershing  forces  were  gradually  withdrawn  from 
Mexico  during  the  winter  of  1917,  the  National  Guard 
having  returned  to  their  homes  by  detachments  during 
the  fall.  Though  the  expedition  had  not  succeeded  in 
capturing  Villa,  it  showed  that  the  United  States  was 
ready  and  able  to  protect  its  border  against  his  or  simi- 
lar depredations;  it  also  served  as  a  preparation  of  our 
military  forces  for  a  far  more  harrowing  issue.  The 
boys  who  gallantly  played  at  war  with  Mexico  are  fight- 
ing and  dying  to-day  on  the  battlefields  of  Europe,  and 
in  that  grim  reality  the  expedition  to  the  Mexican 
border  seems  almost  like  a  dream. 

323 


MEXICO 

Though  Vilhi  escaped  capture  by  the  Americans,  he 
was  soon  defeated  by  Carranza  and  his  faction  under 
the  leadership  of  General  Obregon.  "With  surprising 
suddenness  he  faded  out  of  the  American  newspapers 
of  which  he  had  been  a  star  feature.  For  a  year  or 
more  his  whereabouts  and  even  existence  were  in  doubt. 
In  the  fall  of  1917,  says  a  correspondent  of  one  of  our 
papers,  he  reappeared  wearing  a  patriarchal  black  beard 
and  mounted  on  a  white  mule.  He  attacked  the  Mexi- 
can town  of  Ojinaga  with  a  small  force,  and  defeated 
the  Carranzista  troops,  but  the  victory  was  unimpor- 
tant. And  so  he  disappears  from  our  history,  pictur- 
esque to  the  last,  as  are  most  of  the  Mexican  heroes, 
but  very  far  from  being  a  great  man. 

In  the  winter  of  1917,  Mexico  was  in  an  apparently 
hopeless  condition.  Villa  was  operating  in  the  north, 
Zapata  controlling  the  State  of  Morelos,  south  of  the 
capital,  the  followers  of  Felix  Diaz  were  dominant  in 
Oaxaca,  Porfirio  Diaz'  native  state — and  one  Manuel 
Palez  was  conducting  an  insurrection  of  his  own  along 
the  east  coast.  Mexico  was  bankrupt,  since  no  finan- 
ciers would  lend  the  Carranza  government  money  under 
such  disturbed  conditions. 

Carranza,  nevertheless,  slowly  but  surely  gained 
strength,  and  began  to  show  signs  of  establishing  a 
democratic  and  truly  representative  government  in  the 
face  of  all  this  chaos. 

As  early  as  the  fall   of   1916,   reports  reached  an 

324: 


CAEEANZA  A]N^D  VILLA 

incredulous  world  that  elections  had  been  held  in  Mex- 
ico to  choose  delegates  to  meet  in  convention  at  Quere- 
taro  to  revise  the  Mexican  Constitution.  The  other 
nations  smiled.  This  eternal  preoccupation  of  Mexico 
with  its  Constitution  when  the  wildest  anarchy  ruled 
all  over  the  land  seemed  like  a  man  mortally  ill  worry- 
ing over  a  sanitary  code,  or  the  crew  of  a  ship  which 
was  pounding  against  the  rocks  studying  the  laws  of 
navigation. 

However,  in  February,  1917,  the  new  Constitution 
was  passed;  and  foreigners  heard  with  indignation 
that  under  its  provisions  they  would  not  be  allowed  to 
hold  property  in  localities  where  they  might  furnish 
excuse  for  foreign  intervention — i.  e.,  within  a  certain 
distance  from  the  seacoast  and  the  border — also  that 
mine  holdings  would  be  arranged  to  contribute  rather 
to  Mexican  than  foreign  wealth — that  large  landed  es- 
tates were  to  be  broken  up  and  parceled  out  in  small 
farms — oil  deposits  were  to  be-  the  property  of  the  na- 
tion, to  be  developed  only  on  payment  of  royalties  to 
the  Government  instead  of  as  before  to  owners  of  land 
covering  the  deposits — in  fact,  that  Mexico  was  hence- 
forth to  be  for  the  Mexicans,  and  the  glad,  grabbing 
days  of  the  Diaz  era  were  over  forever. 

The  other  provisions  of  the  new  Constitution  are 
just  as  radical,  and  planned  with  one  purpose — to  effect 
the  welfare  of  Mexico's  hitherto  "submerged"  classes. 
They  embody  the  very  newest  social  reforms,  which  in 

325 


MEXICO 

other  countries  have  only  been  attempted,  if  attempted 
at  all,  in  experimental  legislation,  but  in  Mexico  are 
now  the  paving-stones  in  the  governmental  platform. 
The  eight-hour  day,  the  minimum  wage,  profit-sharing 
in  industry,  and  other  such  measures  are  carefully  pro- 
vided for.  JSTations  who  consider  themselves  advanced 
can  afford  to  watch  Mexico  with  interest.  She  has  been 
called  the  undeveloped  among  nations,  but  it  sometimes 
happens  that  "a  little  child  shall  lead  them." 

The  laws  of  the  new  Constitution  in  regard  to  reli- 
gion are  practically  the  same  as  the  Reform  Laws  of 
Juarez,  but  are  more  strictly  enforced.  Under  Diaz 
the  Catholics  had  been  slowly  but  surely  regaining 
wealth  and  power.  These  are  now  gone.  One  new 
provision  is  "that  only  Mexicans  by  birth  may  be  min- 
isters of  any  religious  creed  in  Mexico;"  this  is  aimed 
at  the  foreign  priests  who  have  often  made  mischief  in 
the  country.  It  is  of  course  also  resented  by  Protes- 
tants who  wish  to  send  missionaries  there.  Religious 
instruction  is  absolutely  forbidden  in  the  schools. 

In  March,  1917,  a  national  election  was  held,  and 
Venustiano  Carranza,  commander-in-chief  and  acting 
executive  of  the  Constitutionalist  movement,  was  elected 
President  of  the  Republic.  Members  of  Congress 
were  also  elected  who  were  not  mere  figure-heads,  but 
intelligent  and  public-spirited  men.  Though  the 
country  was  not  yet  pacified,  elections  were  held  in  the 

326 


CARRANZA  AND  VILLA 

states  whenever  possible,  and  governors  chosen  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  new  movement. 

An  example  of  what  a  State  Governor  of  the  new 
kind  can  accomplish  is  shown  in  Yucatan,  which,  under 
Diaz,  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  national 
scandals.  The  land  all  belonged  to  a  few  rich  men, 
and  the  natives  were  slaves  whose  lives  were  devoted  to 
the  production  of  hennequen  hemp,  a  fiber  for  binder 
twine. 

The  present  Governor  of  Y.ucatan,  Salvador  Alva- 
rado,  insists  that  laborers  shall  be  free"  to  make  their 
own  agreements  to  work  as  they  please,  has  established 
a  minimum  wage,  organized  a  board  of  control  to  regu- 
late prices  and  distribution,  and  taken  up  with  great 
zeal  the  matter  of  public  education.  There  are  now 
at  least  five  times  as  many  school-teachers  as  soldiers 
in  Yucatan — a  great  change  from  former  days.  A 
School  City  modeled  on  Booker  Washington's  Tuskegee 
Institute  is  training  native  leaders  for  the  Maya  In- 
dians, hitherto  isolated  and  uncivilized  and  at  war  with 
the  government,  which  seemed  bent  upon  exterminating 
them.  This  school  is  very  popular  and  will  bring  about 
a  great  change  in  the  condition  of  this  people. 

The  regeneration  of  Mexico  as  a  whole  is  not  of 
course  an  aifair  of  a  few  months  or  a  few  years.  A 
larger  intelligent  middle  class  is  greatly  needed  to  take 
advantage  of  the  improved  business  and  social  condi- 
tions.    The  upper  classes  have  been  too  rich,  and  the 

327 


MEXICO 

peons  too  poor,  for  a  progi-essive  spirit  to  rule.  It  is 
not  strange,  considering  their  long  years  of  oppression, 
that  the  peons  lack  initiative.  A  keen  observer  of 
Mexican  affairs,  Charles  Flandrau,  suggests  another 
very  possible  reason  for  their  lack  of  energy.  "No  peo- 
ple whose  diet  consists  chiefly  of  tortillas,  chile,  black 
coffee  and  cigarettes  are  ever  going  to  be  lashed  by  the 
desire  to  accomplish.  This  is  the  diet  of  babies  as 
soon  as  they  are  weaned.  I  have  heard  proud  mothers 
at  country  dances  compare  notes. 

"  'My  little  boy' — aged  three — Svon't  look  at  a  tor- 
tilla unless  it  is  covered  with  chile,"  one  of  them  ex- 
plains. 

"  'Does  he  cry  for  coffee  ?'  inquires  another.  'My 
baby' — aged  two  and  a  half — 'screams  and  cries  unless 
we  give  her  coffee  three  and  four  times  a  day.' 

"ilt  is  not  surprising  that  a  population  perpetually 
in  the  throes  of  intestinal  disorder  should  be  somewhat 
lacking  in  energy." 

Neither  is  it  surprising  that  a  people  of  whom  only 
an  extremely  small  proportion  have  been  educated 
should  be  lacking  in  progressiveness.  The  Carranza 
government  is  intensely  interested  in  education  and  is 
establishing  it  on  a  scale  much  greater  than  ever  before 
known  in  the  country.  When  Carranza  was  winning 
his  way  but  slowly,  and  the  Constitutionalist  govern- 
ment ruled  only  a  small  portion  of  the  country,  when 
the  money  to  buy  supplies  for  the  army  was  exceedingly 

328 


CAEEANZA  AND  VILLA 

scanty,  Carranza  nevertheless  sent  several  hundred 
teachers  on  a  trip  to  the  United  States  to  investigate  the 
best  methods  of  education  for  a  democracy. 

The  date  of  the  close  of  this  history,  then,  sees  the 
beginning  of  the  true  dawn  of  Mexican  progress.  Her 
night  has  been  long.  Of  all  modern  nations,  she  had 
perhaps  the  most  to  suffer  not  only  from  oppression  and 
exploitation  from  without,  but  from  conflicting  impulses 
within.  Those  who  should  have  helped  her  to  stand 
upright  have  been  the  most  ready  to  lay  heavy  burdens 
upon  her  back ;  those  who  have  risen  to  defend  her  have 
been  swayed  by  vanity  and  treachery.  Her  wars,  car- 
ried on  from  beginning  to  end  with  that  extreme  fero- 
city which  is  a  legacy  from  the  Spaniards  as  well  as 
a  characteristic  of  the  native  races  of  Mexico,  have 
robbed  her  population  of  its  best  blood  to  an  alarming- 
degree.  Yet,  in  times  of  greatest  need,  there  have 
arisen  national  heroes  of  unsullied  reputation,  from 
Guatemozin,  the  undaunted  defender  of  Tenochtitlan, 
to  Juarez,  the  steadfast  Indian  president.  More  and 
more  it  appears  that  the  men  now  in  power  are  of  the 
latter  type;  that  they  sincerely  love  their  country,  and 
that  they  are  planning  its  welfare  with  a  disinterested- 
ness far  above  the  average  in  statesmanship.  The  civil 
wars  were  like  the  fires  which  in  tropical  countries  are 
necessary  to  clear  the  ground  of  obstructions;  already 
a  new  growth  of  free  institutions  flourishing  amid 
healthy  conditions  is  visible. 

329 


MEXICO 

The  greatest  boon  that  Mexico  can  ask  of  her  sister 
nations  is  this:  that  they  shall  know  something  of  the 
conflicts  that  have  made  her  what  she  is ;  that  they  shall 
see  something  of  the  ideals  towards  which  she  is  so 
painfully  struggling.  With  such  knowledge  and  such 
vision,  sympathy  for  her  is  inevitable ;  and  with  sympa- 
thy substituted  for  selfishness,  Mexico  will  be  able  to 
work  out  her  destiny  in  her  own  way,  to  the  ultimate 
satisfaction  of  herself  and  the  world. 


a  :i3  0     ^  i 


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